Views and Experiences of Puerto Ricans One Year After Hurricane Maria

Conclusion

After Hurricane Maria walloped the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico last year, an area already facing widespread poverty and in economic crisis, it left the people of Puerto Rico with a wide range of challenges, from long-term power outages and challenges accessing fresh water to home damage and economic setbacks. This survey, the first comprehensive representative survey in Puerto Rico after the hurricane, helps illuminate what the people of Puerto Rico went through after the storm, how they are faring now, and what their ongoing needs are, finding that some still see their lives as disrupted or personally need more help rebuilding their homes, and many say more resources are necessary to rebuild in a variety of areas, including roads and highways and the power grid. Those with lower incomes or closer to the center of the storm were more often impacted demonstrating that, while the impact was nearly universal, it was not uniform and some areas and people may need more help rebuilding than others. And, while about half of Puerto Ricans are optimistic about the future, majorities feel Puerto Ricans and the federal government are not prepared for future hurricanes in the area.