This session of Mano a Mano begins with a look at the 2025 hurricane season, which has just begun. NOAA is predicting a more severe hurricane season than usual, as shown in the infographic below:
This matters for Puerto Rico since the Island is in a hurricane-prone geographic location, and also, as George Laws Garcia and Martin Rivera say in the video, because Puerto Rico has such a small voice in the federal government.
“As an unincorporated territory we have no representation in Congress,” said Martin, noting that stateside legislators are the only ones that can vote to provide assistance to Puerto Rico. Historically, states have received preferential treatment in the case of natural disasters for just this reason.
“We’ve gotta depend on a president who ultimately isn’t accountable to voters on the Island,” George agreed.
Be prepared
Puerto Rico, and the people living in Puerto Rico, will need to take action to be prepared. Here are some steps to take:
Make sure you are signed up for emergency alerts in your community and know the evacuation routes available to you.
Get your disaster kit ready. Food and water, water treatment tablets, first aid, and any medications your family needs should be included, along with a solar or hand-cranked radio in case internet communication is lost.
You might not think about important documents, but people found after Hurricane Maria that not having those papers made it much harder to get help.
Write down phone numbers — again, in case you lose internet access — of the people you need to check on and the emergency numbers as well.
Don’t forget the basics you need to care for your babies and your pets.
Government preparation
Individual preparation cannot be overlooked, but it’s good to know that the government is making some plans for preparation as well. The Army Corps of Engineers Caribbean District has a new readiness plan, and they got together to try out a tabletop exercise imagining a major hurricane in Puerto Rico following a smaller storm hitting the Birgin Islands and the East Coast of the United States.
There are still concerns that FEMA, Americorps, and NOAA are understaffed and chaotic as we head into the hurricane season. The federal government, including FEMA, are currently emphasizing disaster preparedness by individuals and communities rather than reliance on federal agencies.
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