CLIMATE CHANGE - Uneven Impact on Communities

"Climate change’s uneven impact on communities of color compounded by uneven flow of aid" PBS NewsHour 10/7/2021

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SUMMARY:  Hurricane Ida survivors are still facing a difficult road ahead, nearly six weeks after it battered Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.  And in Lake Charles, Louisiana, thousands are still waiting for relief from a string of natural disasters that began more than a year ago.  Some say it shows the climate change's disproportionate toll on low-income communities.  Community reporter Roby Chavez reports.

PUERTO RICO - First Hurricane, Now Earthquake

"Magnitude 6.4 tremor causes Puerto Rico’s worst earthquake damage in decades" PBS NewsHour 1/7/2020

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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.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 9/6/2019

"Shields and Brooks on Democrats’ climate plans, Trump’s Dorian claim" PBS NewsHour 9/6/2019

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including whether Democrats are taking a “politically risky” approach to climate change policy, President Trump’s fixation with Alabama being hit by Hurricane Dorian, Trump’s diversion of Defense Department funds for border security and "Trump fatigue" in the GOP.

Judy Woodruff f (NewsHour):  And now to the analysis of Shields and Brooks.  That's syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

Hello to both of you.  It's good to see you on this Friday.  There's so much to talk about.

Mark, I want to start with you about this Hurricane Dorian.  We have been watching it now for well over a week, I guess almost two weeks.

And you have got scientists talking more openly now about whether these hurricanes are connected to climate change, to global warming.  And you have got Democratic candidates for President, more of them, coming out with pretty aggressive positions on climate.

Is this something that's realistic for Democrats?  Does that mean they think they're more likely to win over voters if they talk about climate?

Mark Shields, syndicated columnist:  I'm not sure that they see it as a great winning issue.  I think they see it as an important issue.

I would say, among Democratic candidates, first of all, they all agree that there is climate change.  All the deniers are on the other side.  They're not in the Democratic field or in the Democratic Party right now.

And, two, that it's manmade, man contributes to it.  I think those are two important differences that go undebated among Democrats.  Democrats assume that.

And you're right.  They got into a competition.  And the gravity of the problem is real.  I mean, you have got — now you have got 72 percent of people saying storms are stronger.  And half of them believe that climate change is contributing to that.

(CROSSTALK)

Judy Woodruff:  Go ahead.

Mark Shields:  So you have got, I think, a growing public awareness.

The fear for the Democrats on a very practical level is that they get into a bidding war.  I mean, Bernie Sanders now has a $16 billion tag.

David Brooks, New York Times:  Trillion-dollar.

Mark Shields:  Trillion — excuse me — trillion-dollar tag on it.

And you fear, from a political perspective, practical political perspective, Judy, that you get into unrealistic promises, like the Republicans on their pledge every four years to repeal prohibition — a prohibition against abortion, to balance the budget.

And I think that's — I think that's one of the apprehensions that Democrats have at a voting level.

Judy Woodruff:  More than half of them talking about putting a tax on carbon dioxide pollution.

David Brooks:  That was, to me, the big breakthrough.

I think most economists of right and left think a carbon tax or some carbon mechanism is the right way to go, because you let the markets sort of sort it out.  No politician ever says that, because taxing this stuff is very politically unpopular, or at least moderately politically unpopular.

But you had five Democrats, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, said, yes, I'm for that.  They didn't elaborate.  But, to me, that's an important breakthrough.  And is, I think, a political courage.  I think it's also extremely politically risky.

And then Bernie Sanders is not so much for carbon pricing, but he's for semi-nationalizing the utilities.  And that's a pretty radical break.  And so the — I give them a lot of credit.  The debate was very substantive this week.  And their solutions are at least equal to the size of the problem.

But whether it can fly in the fall when Donald Trump gets to run against a carbon tax or a tax on you driving your car, that could be politically risky.

Judy Woodruff:  And speaking of President Trump — and I wasn't actually going to ask about this.

But, tonight, the White House, the President is tweeting out a video, a video tweet, where he's doubling down, David, on his defense of his forecasting some date — last weekend — that Alabama was in the eye of Hurricane Dorian.

This has been a big subject for the press this week.  But is this something you think we have made — that too much has been made of?  We haven't reported on it on the "NewsHour," but we have certainly watched it.

David Brooks:  Yes.

Judy Woodruff:  And it's a remarkable scene.

David Brooks:  I know, because the storm is right over Arizona now.

(LAUGHTER)

Mark Shields:  Look out, Phoenix.

(LAUGHTER)

David Brooks:  Yes, right.

No, on the one hand, we have made too much, because it's a line on a map.  And it's sort of an Onion article.  On the other hand, it is Donald Trump being Donald Trump.

Judy Woodruff:  Right.

David Brooks:  A refusing to admit error when he made an error, B counting his staff to pretend that no error had — made and C spreading false information, which he picked up on TV.

And the President gets the right to be briefed.  And when — there was one weatherman — apparently, he saw him on CNN — who said this.  But it was clear that wasn't the true story.

And the primary responsibility of the President is not to make himself look good by sticking to this.  It's to protect the country by saying, oh, I saw one weather report, but it turns out that's not right.  It's going up the — it's going up the coast.

So Donald Trump is being Donald Trump.  And the question is, do we always react to his exaggerations and lies again and again and again?  Maybe that's the right thing to do just to preserve norms.  It gets a little old, though.

Judy Woodruff:  And, Mark, somebody in the White House drew that line that we just — we just showed, that black…

Mark Shields:  Somebody did, and somebody with a sharpie.

And I don't know who in the White House uses a sharpie.

(LAUGHTER)

Mark Shields:  I'll say this, Judy.

It's bizarre in this sense.  Alabama, for some reason, occupies an enormously important emotional and political, almost sentimental spot in the President's galaxy of affections.  It was there he had his first rally in Mobile, where Jeff Sessions endorsed him in the summer of 2015.

He returned after the election to thank him.  He got a bigger percentage of the vote in Alabama than anybody since Richard Nixon against George McGovern in 1972.

But in the process, what he did was, he kind of gave short shrift and ignored the plight and the suffering, not simply the human tragedy in the Bahamas, but constituents in the important states of Florida and North Carolina.

And he just seems — he just seems absolutely absorbed with it, and when he could just say, gee, thank goodness, I'm happy to report, I'm relieved to report I was wrong, and that…

Judy Woodruff:  That Alabama was spared.

Mark Shields:  Alabama was spared.  And thank you, God, and go — roll, Tide.

David Brooks:  Yes, "I was wrong" has never passed those lips.

Mark Shields:  Yes.  OK.  I'm sorry.  Yes, OK.

(LAUGHTER)

BAHAMAS - Hurricane Dorian

"Why Hurricane Dorian lingered for so long over the Bahamas" PBS NewsHour 9/3/2019

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SUMMARY:  Why did Hurricane Dorian, the strongest storm on record to hit the Bahamas, linger over the island nation for so long?  Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, joins Judy Woodruff to explain the "rare" conditions that kept the storm battering Grand Bahama for more than 20 hours, creating a “devastating” situation for residents, and shares the latest forecast for the southeastern U.S.

"Hurricane Dorian leaves ‘apocalyptic’ damage in the Bahamas" PBS NewsHour 9/4/2019

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SUMMARY:  The southeastern U.S. shoreline is watching Hurricane Dorian drive north, not far offshore.  The storm’s winds have dropped to 105 miles per hour, still plenty powerful but much less severe than those that blasted the northern Bahamas earlier this week.  John Yang reports and joins Judy Woodruff from Nassau with an update on a disaster whose scope of destruction is still coming into focus.

FLORIDA - Year After Hurricane Irma

"Why the Florida Keys still need support, a year and a half after Hurricane Irma" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  In March, FEMA ended its temporary housing program for people affected by Hurricane Irma, which slammed the Florida Keys in September 2017.  But as rebuilding continues after one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, shelter for survivors and volunteers continues to be a major challenge in an area known for a critical shortage of affordable housing.  Special correspondent Alicia Menendez reports.

PUERTO RICO - The Federal Aid Battle

Why the battle?  Because in Trump World Puerto Ricans are still seen as brown-skin foreigners, when in fact they are United States citizens for 120 years.

"Why federal aid for struggling Puerto Rico remains a political battle" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2019

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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.

NORTH CAROLINA - After Florence

"After Florence, half of this town was underwater for days.  Now residents wonder if they should rebuild." PBS NewsHour 11/13/2018

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SUMMARY:  It’s been nearly two months since Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina and then drenched the state for days, leading to devastating flooding in many inland areas and causing an estimated $17 billion dollars worth of damage.  Special correspondent Cat Wise traveled to Jones County recently, where one hard-hit town is still struggling with the storm’s messy aftermath.

MIAMI - A Future Atlantis?

"Will climate change turn Miami into a ‘future Atlantis’?" PBS NewsHour 10/3/2018

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SUMMARY:  Florida research professors studying climate change have serious warnings for the Magic City.  They say that Miami’s buildings have come a long way in becoming more resistant to sustained, heavy winds.  However, the city’s infrastructure may not be prepared to protect it from a huge hurricane storm surge.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

PUERTO RICO - Post Hurricane Maria Update

"Puerto Rico’s beleaguered public schools face controversial reform after Hurricane Maria" PBS NewsHour 9/18/2018

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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.

"Families say Hurricane Maria’s death toll was preventable — and neglect is to blame" PBS NewsHour 9/22/2018

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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.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 9/14/2018

"Shields and Brooks on Paul Manafort’s guilty plea, Trump’s Hurricane Maria denial" PBS NewsHour 9/14/2018

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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.

HURRICANES - Performance by FEMA, Trump on Puerto Rico, Climate Change

"How prepared is FEMA for Hurricane Florence?" PBS NewsHour 9/12/2018

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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.

"Flying into hurricanes, scientists search for more certainty" PBS NewsHour 9/12/2018

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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.

"Trump disputes Puerto Rico’s hurricane death toll.  Here’s how they are calculated" PBS NewsHour 9/13/2018

aka "Anything That Makes Me Look Bad is 'Fake News'"

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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.

"How climate change is ‘loading the dice’ for more perilous hurricanes" PBS NewsHour 9/14/2018

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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.

PUERTO RICO - More Dead Than Reported

IMHO:  The pessimist in me has to wonder if this is really an attempt by FEMA to save money since they pay benefits who are officially listed as having died in a disaster.  This sounds like a typical 'Scrooge' Republican/Trump move, less 'official' dead = less benefits paid (aka money is more important than people).

"Chaotic and unending recovery after Hurricane Maria leads to far more dead than official government estimates" PBS NewsHour 5/29/2018

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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.

PUERTO RICO - 2018 Hurricane Season

"Hurricane season is coming and Puerto Rico still has a big power problem" PBS NewsHour 4/19/2018

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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.

PUERTO RICO - The Student Exodus

"Puerto Rico’s education system hangs in the balance amid Hurricane Maria exodus" PBS NewsHour 2/6/2018

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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.

TEXAS - Still Waiting

This is ANOTHER damning example (like Puerto Rico) on response to disasters in America.

"Thousands of Texans are still in temporary housing awaiting Hurricane Harvey aid" PBS NewsHour 1/29/2018

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SUMMARY:  Five months after Hurricane Harvey tore through Houston with record rainfall and 130 mph winds, 33,000 Texans are still displaced and living in temporary federal housing.  Meanwhile, 80 percent of hurricane victims did not have flood insurance, and for many, help is not coming fast enough.  Produced in partnership with the Texas Tribune, Hari Sreenivasan looks at what keeps them from returning home.

PUERTO RICO - Power, Why So Long

"Here’s why restoring power in Puerto Rico is taking so long" PBS NewsHour 1/25/2018

Answer, Puerto Rico is not the 'state next door' but its entire infrastructure was wiped out.

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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.

PUERTO RICO - Insecure Future

We should be ashamed that after 4 months our fellow citizens are still wanting.

"Traumatized Puerto Ricans see uncertain, insecure future" PBS NewsHour 1/11/2018

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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.

NEW YORK - 5 Years After Sandy

"Storm-proofing New York is slow going five years since Superstorm Sandy" PBS NewsHour 11/1/2017

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SUMMARY:  Superstorm Sandy flooded coastline communities and led to billions of dollars in damage.  Five years on, the city of New York has tried to mitigate the impact of a future disaster, from raising houses to building seawalls.  But turning ideas into reality has been slow and complicated.  Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on how the city is building resiliency and the hurdles that remain.

CARIBBEAN - Hurricane Aftermath

Reminder, the U.S. has never been it a situation where entire infrastructures have been decimated AND the 'state' being isolated, having no neighbors to help.

"Puerto Ricans still don't have reliable drinking water, and fears of contamination are rising" PBS NewsHour 10/17/2017

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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.

"Why restoring Puerto Rico's power is so difficult" PBS NewsHour 10/19/2017

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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.

"After two devastating hurricanes, U.S. Virgin Islands' 'hurt is very real'" PBS NewsHour 10/20/2017

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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.

PUERTO RICO - Loss and Rebuilding

"Puerto Ricans who lost everything begin rebuilding as they wait for aid" PBS NewsHour 10/2/2017

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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.

"How Puerto Ricans see President Trump’s hurricane response" PBS NewsHour 10/3/2017

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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.

"San Juan mayor: Trump can attack me as long as it gets out the message that Puerto Ricans are hungry" PBS NewsHour 10/4/2017

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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 Yulín 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.

"Shuttered school in Puerto Rico opens its doors for community in need" PBS NewsHour 10/6/2017

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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.