Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico.
PUBLISHED 12:50 PM EDT Sep. 18, 2022LOÍZA, Puerto Rico — Jetsabel Osorio Chévere looked up with a sad smile as she leaned against her battered home.
Criswell said officials focused on recovery and emergency repairs for the first three years after Maria. Reconstruction has now started, she noted, but will take time because authorities want to ensure the structures being built are robust enough to withstand stronger hurricanes projected as a result of climate change.
Some Puerto Ricans have opted to rebuild themselves instead of waiting for government help they feel will never come. It is one of five municipalities that has not seen a single post-hurricane project completed, with a pier, medical center, government office and a road still awaiting reconstruction. Gonsález said that few companies make bids because they lack employees, or they quote a price higher than that authorized by federal officials as inflation drives up the cost of materials.
“It’s still there. About to fall,” said López, who lost her roof to Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and again to Maria. “I’m here trying to survive.”
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