SUMMARY: Puerto Rico is under a state of emergency after experiencing a magnitude 6.4 earthquake Tuesday morning. The tremor, part of a series that has shaken the U.S. territory since Christmas, caused substantial damage along the southern coast. One man died when a wall caved in on his house, and many residents were left without power or water. John Yang reports on the island's worst earthquake in years.
SUMMARY: More than 200 days have passed since Hurricane Michael hit Florida with devastating Category 5 force -- but a corresponding disaster relief bill is still yet to be passed. Amna Nawaz talks to Florida . Rick Scott [R-Fl], who was the state’s governor during the storm, about the “frustrating” months of gridlock, funding Puerto Rico's recovery and why Sen. Scott blames Sen. Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] for the stalemate.
SUMMARY: A wide-ranging disaster relief bill failed in the Senate Monday due to a disagreement about federal aid for Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, the island territory is struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria's damaging blow a year and a half ago. Lisa Desjardins reports on the stalled legislation, and John Yang talks to Associated Press reporter Danica Coto about what’s at stake for Puerto Rico's people.
SUMMARY: Celebrity chef Jose Andres has been on the ground in the Carolinas this week, helping victims of Hurricane Florence. As a "food first responder," Andres was also in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria tore through the island a year ago. Jeffrey Brown talks with him about how he uses his knowledge of and passion for food to help create a new kind of activism, and offering nurturing to those in need.
SUMMARY: Puerto Rico's school system was struggling long before Hurricane Maria struck a year ago. But the disaster exacerbated deep problems, as schools were destroyed, thousands of children moved to the U.S. mainland and students struggle with trauma. Now, special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza of Education Week reports, the system is at a crossroads as the schools chief advocates for charter schools.
SUMMARY: Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism, the Associated Press, and Quartz compiled an extensive database of nearly 500 victims of Hurricane Maria whose families say that mismanagement, poor communication and damaged infrastructure were to blame for the deaths. Ana Campoy, Latin America reporter for Quartz, joins Hari Sreenivasan from Dallas.
SUMMARY: Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including the guilty plea from Paul Manafort and deal to cooperate with the Mueller investigation, President Trump’s contentious remarks about Hurricane Maria, and slipping polls for the President ahead of the general election for control of the House and the Senate.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): As the Carolinas grapple with Florence's destructive forces, President Trump sparked a new political storm after questioning the number of Americans killed in the aftermath of Puerto Rico's storm last year.
And the general election for control of the House and Senate has officially begun, a perfect moment for the analysis of Shields and Brooks. That is syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.
Hello to both of you.
Mark, I'm going to start with the Paul Manafort plea. He had said for months that he wasn't going to do this, but now he has. He's pled guilty. And he's cooperating with Robert Mueller. We — it's clear there's so much we don't know, but what does this mean for the President, potentially?
Mark Shields, syndicated columnist: It means bad news.
He is the — Paul Manafort is the person closest to the President, who was in the campaign, who was involved in a meeting at Trump Tower with the Russians, who was involved intimately in the convention preparations, to changing the platform of the — in a position on Ukraine.
So there's a lot. Plus, he was the conduit, to the degree there was one, in the Trump campaign to the traditional Republican Party. So, Paul Manafort is potentially a real problem.
Judy Woodruff: David?
David Brooks, New York Times: Yes, I agree.
It's striking to me how late in the process it is that this plea deal came. Maybe Manafort was holding out. But the fact that Mueller decided to accept and cut the plea suggests there's something there, either about Trump, about a member of Trump's family, about somebody else.
It suggests that Mueller is proceeding slowly, and — but very remorselessly. And so it might not even be about Russia. It's been interesting. A lot of the indictments that have so far come down have not been about Russia. They have been other things. And there could be some other — some other law-breaking, potential law-breaking somewhere in Trump's past.
Judy Woodruff: Yes, we will certainly watch and wait.
In the meantime, as I mentioned, Mark, this is the week in which we're waiting for this hurricane to hit the East, Southern, Southeastern coast of the U.S. President Trump a surprise everyone with a tweet the other morning questioning the number of people who died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico.
The outside experts, completely nonpolitical, had come to the conclusion, several of them, that it was around 3,000. The President said that's not so.
It's not just Democrats, but Republicans in the state of Florida and elsewhere, who have come back and said the President's wrong.
What has he stepped into here?
Mark Shields: He stepped into, Judy, and exposed himself as somebody whose ego is so out of check, whose narcissistic impulses are so total, that he could equate a personal tragedy of enormous dimensions, of some 3,000, now some estimates are as high as 4,000-plus, deaths in Puerto Rico to being a political conspiracy against him by the part of his political enemies.
As far as Republicans in Florida, Rick Scott, the governor, not surprisingly, spoke, said, it's not true. He has been to Puerto Rico himself seven times. He's made a big effort politically and governmentally to welcome the Puerto Ricans, the diaspora who've been moved to Florida as a result of that storm, who immediately become voters in that state.
But probably most telling was Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor, the Mini-Me of this campaign, the Donald Trump clone, self-styled, self-admitted, saying that he didn't agree with the President on this, which is — I don't know what it's comfortable to. Breaking with the king?
And so it's — I would say that Trump has really, in this case, isolated himself and exposed himself.
Judy Woodruff: Any positive calculus for the President here, David?
(LAUGHTER)
David Brooks: No, hard to think of that one.
It almost makes you nostalgic to remember when he was bragging about his crowd size at the inaugural. That at least — it was a lie, but at least it was a harmless lie.
Mark Shields: That's right.
David Brooks: This is a lie where you render nearly 3,000 Americans invisible, that you don't acknowledge their existence, and you don't even see them.
And so it's essentially telling the families of the people who died and those who died and anybody who cares about their fellow citizens that you can write them out of the history books, because their deaths make Donald Trump look bad.
Mark Shields: Just one…
David Brooks: And so it's almost pathological.
Mark Shields: Go ahead. Pardon me.
I agree.
Just one other thing, Judy. The politics of disasters, natural disasters in this country, are very real. To go back to Superstorm Sandy and even the 2012 election, when Barack Obama, the President, went to New Jersey, and Republican Governor Chris Christie, who was a big supporter of Romney's, thanked him publicly for the concern and the compassion that he and his administration had showed the people of New Jersey suffering.
And on the other side, it was George W. Bush's decline as a President in popular support really was accelerated by Hurricane Katrina, his apparent indifference, his endorsement of Michael Brown, "Heck of a job, Brownie," as FEMA just absolutely failed.
And I would just say this about political — about natural disasters. There's no politics involved among people, whether it's red states or blue states, liberals or conservatives. They look to the federal government, regardless of philosophy, for help, for effective, efficient, responsive help.
And Donald Trump, when he went to Texas after the great storm last year, the first thing he said was, what a crowd. What a turnout, again making it about Donald Trump.
SUMMARY: President Trump has said the federal government in "totally prepared" for Hurricane Florence, but the federal reaction to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria last year have raised questions about the nation’s disaster response. Judy Woodruff talks with former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate and Chris Currie, a Director of the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
SUMMARY: How do meteorologists and scientists make predictions about the power and trajectory of a hurricane? Buckle up. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins a crew of scientists who fly right into the eye of Hurricane Florence.
SUMMARY: In the months since Hurricane Maria, studies estimating the death toll in Puerto Rico have far exceeded the government's initial figure. But President Trump is denying a conclusion that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the storm, and defending the government's response. John Yang talks with Philip Bump from the Washington Post.
SUMMARY: As Hurricane Florence was closing in on the Carolina coast this week, the role of climate change in intensifying weather was back in the national conversation. Amna Nawaz talks with Radley Horton of Columbia University about the link between climate change and sea level rise and rising temperatures.
SUMMARY: As Puerto Rico enters another hurricane season, the island’s elderly residents find themselves especially vulnerable. A recent study found some 4,600 Puerto Ricans perished in the months following Hurricane Maria--including many who died because of delayed medical care. Special correspondent Sarah Varney reveals just how precarious daily life has become for the island's elderly.
SUMMARY: The death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year was far larger than known, according to a new study. At least 4,645 people on the island are estimated to have died as a result of the storm and devastation that followed, far exceeding the official number of 64. Judy Woodruff talks with Sarah Varney of Kaiser Health News.
SUMMARY: Seven months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and its power grid, the entire island lost power on Wednesday -- the biggest outage since September. As crews keep working to restore power to the full island, residents are raising questions once again about the adequacy of those efforts. Amna Nawaz gets an update from special correspondent Monica Villamizar.
Amna Nawaz (NewsHour): So, you have been reporting on this painfully slow pace of recovery ever since Hurricane Maria hit.
But this doesn’t seem to be related to Maria anymore. Everyone’s wondering, how does this keep happening?
Monica Villamizar, special correspondent: Yes, absolutely. That’s a great question.
Many people — Puerto Ricans right now are being out to sort of be patient and understand, at least by PREPA the power utility company — that keep on asking everybody, be patient and understand that generating electricity and distributing it to everybody is very difficult, and our infrastructure was absolutely decimated by Maria.
But if you stop think, Puerto Ricans are saying, how can we be patient after not having electricity for months on end? Many people still today do not have power.
Amna Nawaz: Right.
Monica Villamizar: And how can it be so complicated?
The truth of the matter is, in all fairness, it is complicated. And the grades is — was very poorly [badly] damaged, but it was also in very bad conditions.
They have a massive transmission problem right now, which means it’s really fragile and unstable. So, if you will, you knock down a power — like you say, how can that throw the whole island into darkness? That’s not normal, normally what happens in other countries.
In Puerto Rico, it’s happening because the system that was put in place and the power grid is so obsolete, that this is the situation they have.
Amna Nawaz: So, it was a bad problem decimated and made worse by this Category 5 storm seven months ago.
So, who owns the problem? Who actually has responsibility to try to fix it now?
Monica Villamizar: That’s a great question. And that’s sort of what we have been seeing, a political blame-game.
So, the power utility company blames FEMA. FEMA blames the Corps of Engineers. Puerto Ricans blame the Trump administration. Everybody is going to blame everybody. But in the end, the island is bankrupt. There is no money.
And to fix this enormous problem is going to take billions and billions of dollars that the island does not have. So they’re facing a very serious situation, which is fixing a massive problem, fixing it soon, because, remember, hurricane season is going to start again.
Amna Nawaz: Right.
Monica Villamizar: And in the meantime, all these local authorities and politicians throwing blame around.
In the end, everybody is to blame in a way. But what they have to do and what a lot of people are telling me now is that they want to look to local authorities and pass that to sort of try to own the situation, as you say, and make something better for the island, really, try to construct the future themselves.
Amna Nawaz: And what about people on the ground? What are they telling you now? How do they feel after all this time and where they still are today?
Monica Villamizar: Well, so, most people at the beginning, when we first reported in Puerto Rico, and the generalized feeling was, we are American citizens and we are being treated as secondhand citizens by the company administrations effectively, because the response to our hurricane wasn’t the same as we saw in Florida or Texas, for instance.
And there was no sense of urgency. But we were here dying and hungry and being affected.
It’s sort of slightly shifted now, and I think they’re looking to their local authorities, to Governor Rossello, to Mayor Carmen Yulin, et cetera, like, what are you going to do to fix our problems?
Because, you know what, in the end, they say they don’t have education because of all this debt restructuring and the consolidations of schools, et cetera. They don’t have education, they don’t have power, and they don’t have health.
So when a government is not providing that, it’s somewhat failing in its role. And that’s when people are really going to start asking more of their local authorities and local leaders, because they really need solutions to urgent problems.
And the situation they’re facing right now is, we stay here and make things better, or we have to leave to the mainland.
SUMMARY: It’s been just over six months since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico and roughly 150,000 people still do not have power. A string of grassroots efforts aims to jumpstart the grid with solar energy. Science producer Nsikan Akpan explains what they’ll need to see the light.
SUMMARY: More than 50,000 students are expected to leave Puerto Rico for the mainland to continue their education. With hundreds of schools expected to close, the mass exodus has major consequences for the education system, and some see the storm as pretext to replace the public system with charter schools and introduce private investment. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports.
SUMMARY: Four months after Hurricane Maria, about 450,000 of 1.5 million electricity customers in Puerto Rico still have no service. Blackouts regularly occur for hours at a time, even in San Juan. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports on the emergency efforts to restore power, and how some have taken matters into their own hands as outdated technology, and suspected corruption, stand in the way.
SUMMARY: It’s been nearly four months since Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Maria, and the return to normalcy has been hindered by a painfully slow recovery. Jeffrey Brown talks to special correspondent Monica Villamizar for an update on how residents are coping amid rising crime rates, dwindling school enrollment, and devastated infrastructure and natural resources.
SUMMARY: It's been almost a month since Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, killing at least 48 people, but citizens on the island are still coming to grips with the scale of the devastation. William Brangham speaks with David Begnaud of CBS News about new concerns of contamination and disease due to the island's lack of drinking water, medical facilities and a backlog of supplies in San Juan.
SUMMARY: Both federal and local authorities have faced criticism for the speed of Puerto Rico recovery efforts. A month after Hurricane Maria, some 80 percent of the island remains without electricity. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with José Sánchez, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to discuss the problems with the devastated power grid.
SUMMARY: Hurricane-battered infrastructure and limited electricity have taken a toll on the tourism-driven economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Home to 100,000 Americans, the islands took a hit from both hurricanes Irma and Maria at their peaks within a span of two weeks. William Brangham speaks with U.S. Virgin Islands State Senator Janette Millin Young about how the islands are faring and the progress made.
SUMMARY: Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's news, including the horrific massacre at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas and national debate about access to guns, plus seeming tensions between President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the consequences for American diplomacy.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): And to the analysis of Shields and Brooks. That's syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.
Gentlemen, welcome.
I was going to go straight to Las Vegas, but, Mark, I am again struck by these moving stories, this last one by William, about people struggling with addiction.
MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist: No, every one of them, Judy, William tonight, Paul Solman last night, it just — putting a human face on it, not simply the affliction and the problem, but — and the recovery.
The gravity of the problem is driven home to you, but the hope for recovery is presented.
JUDY WOODRUFF: We have a lot of emergencies, I guess, David, to deal with, but this is clearly one.
DAVID BROOKS, New York Times: Yes.
Well, the scene of Roxanne Newman with her date, on the first date, (A) the spirit with which she told that story, and then (B) her husband's grace, her now husband's grace, it's remarkable.
MARK SHIELDS: Yes.
DAVID BROOKS: And she — her point, which is the one you hear over and over again, is, it's just a slow-motion form of suicide.
And you have got to see it, first, the heroism of the people who are trying to deal with the recovery, but the social chasm that causes it. Suicide is just a symptom of isolation. And the tearing of the social fabric has created so many problems for society, but this is the one that is the most lethal.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, speaking of lethal and social fabric, Mark, Las Vegas has been on all of our minds this week, the worst mass shooting in American history.
What does it say about our country, about the American people?
MARK SHIELDS: Well, it says, again, that we have a problem that the rest off the world doesn't face, has dealt with in a different way.
And it, quite frankly, Judy, is beyond my comprehension at this point. I mean, we, as a people, if you think about it, over the last generation have made such enormous strides in the changes we have made. For example, alcohol-related driving deaths are down by 85 percent. A generation ago, people took for granted smoking in hospitals, in schools, in offices, in stores.
And we have done — and put seat belts on children; 90 percent of Americans drive with seat belts. And half of those who die are of the 10 percent who don't wear seat belts.
And we have done it. We have made these changes. We have taken on major economic interests. And this is the one that's stumped us [guns]. And to organize social action and social movement around it, because there are majorities, not intense majorities, but majorities of people who favor measures that have broad backing on registration, on background check.
We do it with automobiles. We do it with every other kind of device. But, somehow, again, we have been stumped. And David has a theory on it, which he wrote about today quite persuasively, which, you know, may very well explain it.
DAVID BROOKS: I always have a theory.
You know, one of the things that struck me about the polling on people's gun rights or gun control, is that, in 2000, not that long ago, two-thirds of Americans supported gun control, and only 29 percent supported gun rights. Now it's about 50/50.
And so the gun rights people have just had a massive shift in their direction. And that's because the issue has now — perfectly mirrors the political divide in this country and the cultural divide between coastal and rural, between more — higher education and lower education, the divide we see on issue after issue.
And it's become sort of a proxy for the big cultural dispute. And a lot of the people who are trying to resist the post-industrial takeover of the country have seized on guns and immigration and the flag and a few other issues as the issues on which they are going to rally their people.
And there are a lot of those people. One in four households has a gun in this country. And so it's become a symptom of a larger culture war between some people who thinks it's horrific, guns; and some people who think it's a symbol of families being responsible and taking care of themselves, of freedom, and of Americans.
JUDY WOODRUFF: It's a reminder of something Barack Obama said.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVID BROOKS: I wouldn't say cling bitterly, though. No, I think I disagree with that.
They see it as a way that America should be what it should be.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Mark, the debate or the discussion this week, so much of it has turned to guns. Is that the conversation we should be having right now?
MARK SHIELDS: Well, it's a conversation we have to have, because this man was a one-man artillery.
I mean, he had 12 rifles in his possession in the hotel, in the suite that was comped to him, let it be noted, because he was a major gambler. And that's what Las Vegas does. If you are going to bet enough at the tables, at video poker, you are going to get a free suite, and then nobody is going to ask questions about you.
But they were fitted out with bump stocks, Judy, which are a little device that turns it essentially into a lethal killing weapon. And that's all it is, to kill human beings. It's not for hunting. It's not for sportsmanship or anything else.
There seems to be an emerging consensus on that we have to limit those, that they can limit sales. Even the NRA and Republicans have done it.
I hate to sound like a cynic, but these are made in Moran, Texas, by a man who started the company six years ago. They don't have a political action committee. They don't have millions of dollars in contributions. And I think it's a good idea, a positive public policy that they are limited, but he's not a — you're not dealing with a political powerhouse when you outlaw his product.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But does it look like — you wrote today, David, the prospects are dim for figuring this gun issue out. But is there any hope?
DAVID BROOKS: Well, I think they are dim.
We're in the middle of a renaissance of gun laws in this country — 24 — more than 24 states have passed it, and almost all of them have loosened gun restrictions, not tightened gun restrictions. They have conceal-carry and all those kinds of laws.
My own view on the issue is that we should probably pass all the gun control measures that are talked about, whether it's the gun shows, whether it's limiting the number you can buy. And, I mean, there's a list of about 15 programs, smart guns and all that, and most of them would be good.
And I think they would be good because I think they would reduce suicides, which is the really main form of gun death.
Whether they'd prevent these kinds of killings, I guess I'm dubious. Marco Rubio made a statement in the presidential campaign that none of the proposed laws would have prevented any of the recent mass killings. The Washington Post did a big fact-check on that claim, and they said what he said was accurate.
And so I'm for supporting these things. I'm not sure we should get our hopes up they will prevent things. One of the things I have been thinking about if we in the media just stopped talking about these people — this guy seemed to be a — we don't know what he is.
But a lot of the people who do this, they just want to become famous. They want to prove to the world they exist. And if we anonymize them — and it's hard to do, because you're always curious about the people.
SUMMARY: The road to recovery in Puerto Rico will be long and daunting, as electricity, fuel and transportation remain crippled in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Citizens who have lost everything to the storm are trying to rebuild, but continue to wait for assistance as the military surveys the damage. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports.
SUMMARY: Two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, President Trump toured parts of the island to assess the damage and relief efforts. Praising the work of FEMA, Mr. Trump complained about the cost of recovery and said Puerto Ricans need to do more. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how Puerto Ricans are responding to the President’s visit and comments.
SUMMARY: The federal response in Puerto Rico continues to draw criticism from locals, their dissatisfaction amplified by President Trump’s visit to the island on Tuesday. San Juan Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz talks with special correspondent Monica Villamizar about the President’s visit and the disconnect she sees between the White House and the reality in Puerto Rico.
SUMMARY: Hurricane Maria has taken a toll on Puerto Rico’s power grid and water supply, but for children, school closures and isolation from friends presents a daily reminder of the storm's devastation. For a working class community outside San Juan, schools have become spaces of refuge where people can access food, medicine and psychological support. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports.
SUMMARY: After almost a week since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, millions of residents are without water, fuel or power, and cut off from the world with no way to communicate with family abroad. John Yang speaks with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald about the extent of the damage and the island's need for federal aid.
SUMMARY: Conditions are dire for more than 3 million Americans struggling to get water, food and electricity after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. P.J. Tobia reports on the pressure President Trump has faced to send more aid, then Judy Woodruff speaks with FEMA Deputy Administrator Daniel Kaniewski and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) about the federal response the island has received.
SUMMARY: As Puerto Rico reels a week after Hurricane Maria, much of the aid that has reached the island has not made it beyond San Juan. President Trump defended his administration's response while basic necessities remain scant John Yang speaks with Camila Domonoske of NPR and Phillip Carter of the Center for a New American Security, about the distribution of aid and what the military is doing.
SUMMARY: Across Puerto Rico, many residents still desperately need food, fuel and water. Meanwhile, thousands of cargo containers filled with supplies sit on the docks, unable to get inland. John Yang reports on how the Trump administration is taking steps to speed up relief efforts, then gets an update from the ground in San Juan from Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.
SUMMARY: Long lines are a stark fact of life for the people of Puerto Rico, with little assistance from the outside world reaching small towns nine days after Hurricane Maria. But the U.S. military and Puerto Rican National Guard units are trying to get aid out beyond the capital, and help get hospitals up and running. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports on the frustrations on the island.
SUMMARY: For years, the Puerto Rican economy has been in decline, and the U.S. territory is now on the brink of disaster, with $72 billion of overall debt and an unemployment rate twice that of the mainland. As the island’s government is forced to suspend funding for vital services, hundreds of Puerto Ricans are leaving every day, while those who remain struggle to stay afloat. Jeffrey Brown reports.
JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour): The sights and sounds of old San Juan leading back to the 16th century. This morning, locals and tourists enjoyed the charm of the Caribbean island.
But last night, about an hour away, we heard of another Puerto Rico. Coral Jimenez lives with her 11-year-old son Felix who suffers severe disabilities. Several months ago, the fiscal crisis that now plagues this island territory trickled down to her son.
CORAL JIMENEZ: The people that provide therapy for my son were not getting paid so we stopped getting the services for more than a month. He couldn’t get his physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological therapy, he stopped getting them.
JEFFREY BROWN: Coral says caring for her son has taken a village of friends and family. But now, that village itself needs help.
CORAL JIMENEZ: For a son like my Felix, I required therapy, I required his father to help me economically. My mom has to help me, but the economy has been affecting his father’s business. He’s doing the best he can, but he’s warning me things are not going the way they used to be.
Some friends of mine, they used to helped me a lot, they have to move to the States, so I don’t count on those friends anymore.
JEFFREY BROWN: Around San Juan, we heard other stories from victims of a slow-moving economic crisis that’s battered government coffers and sacked personal savings. The unemployment rate is here is double that of the mainland U.S.
MAN (through interpreter): My kids are grown up now. One is in university and I also have grandchildren. They are suffering, too, because I can’t help them the way I normally would have.
JEFFREY BROWN: One response, Puerto Ricans are leaving in record numbers, some 230 a day. According to a recent study, Puerto Rico lost testimony 2 percent of its population in 2014 and the flight continues.
SUMMARY: The tropical island of Puerto Rico has been scrambling for a precious resource: clean, fresh water. Puerto Ricans have faced the worst drought in more than 20 years and the most stringent water rationing ever imposed. Special correspondent Chris Bury reports.
CHRIS BURY (NewsHour): The remnants of Hurricane Danny and Tropical Storm Erika that drenched Puerto Rico in late summer were, in fact, a great relief for this tropical island 3,500 square miles surrounded by the blue Caribbean.
In a new era of greatly reduced rainfall and extended dry spells, the most precious commodity these days is water, clean, fresh water. But for nearly five months in the summer and early fall, the most populous parts of the country depended on 1,600 gallon tanks of water like this. At one point, more than 100 of these tanks helped Puerto Ricans cope with the worst drought in more than 20 years.
Near San Juan, Juliana Chiclana was filling up water jugs for a household that includes eight grandchildren.
JULIANA CHICLANA, Puerto Rican Resident (through interpreter): One is emotionally affected by the drought itself, which, at least for me, I have never experienced a drought this big.
CHRIS BURY: In this town, the tap water was on for 24 hours, then off for 72 hours. And so families had to load up with enough to get through three days without tap water at home.
JULIANA CHICLANA (through interpreter): In a way, I’m grateful that it’s three, because they had announced that it was going to be five days.
CHRIS BURY: The rationing, in force from mid-May until September, was the most stringent ever imposed. Just outside San Juan, the Torres family lived for months with those restrictions.
