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Articles on Caribbean hurricane recovery

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Nearly a year after Hurricane Maria, water is still not restored to all of Puerto Rico. Reuters/Alvin Baez

Harvesting rain could help Caribbean countries keep the water on after hurricanes

Many countries collect and store rainwater for use during drought or dry seasons. But this technique is rarely used in the Caribbean, where hurricanes can leave people without water for months.
Hurricane Irma demolished Sint Maarten in the Dutch Antilles, in September 2017. The island has yet to recover. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

How corruption slows disaster recovery

Corruption has made hurricane Caribbean countries’ recovery less efficient and more expensive, new research shows. Misuse of funds may also trigger more disaster-related deaths.
Rising seas, harsher weather, rainier days. The impacts of climate change make it harder for Caribbean countries to plan their transition toward renewable energy sources. Ricardo Rojas/Reuters

Climate change may scuttle Caribbean’s post-hurricane plans for a renewable energy boom

The 2017 hurricane season showed that Caribbean nations urgently need more resilient power grids. But the effects of climate change – including more severe storms – complicate the shift to renewables.
Some 17,000 U.S. troops aided in the Caribbean relief effort after hurricanes Irma and Maria. That’s roughly equivalent to the U.S. military’s humanitarian mission in the Philippines after Typhoon Hiyan in 2013. U.S. Department of Agriculture

Military mission in Puerto Rico after hurricane was better than critics say but suffered flaws

Compared to its foreign disaster missions, the US military mobilized slowly after Maria. But in numbers, capacity and logistics coordination, its work in Puerto Rico was on par with other aid efforts.
People in the U.S. and the Caribbean share vulnerability to climate change-related disasters, but only in the Caribbean is the public truly worried. Why? US Navy

Caribbean residents see climate change as a severe threat but most in US don’t — here’s why

New research suggests politics and risk perception may explain why the US and Caribbean see climate change so differently, though both places are ever more vulnerable to powerful hurricanes.
He didn’t throw paper towels in Texas. Why Puerto Rico? AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Is racial bias driving Trump’s neglect of Puerto Rico?

Evidence shows that US taxpayers are less willing to support extensive disaster relief when the victims are not white. Could that explain the Trump administration’s lackluster support for Puerto Rico?

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