Who is to blame for Puerto Rico’s hurricane relief shambles?

Anger over role of the island’s electricity authority in failure of post-Maria aid efforts

Wreckage of a house destroyed by Hurricane Maria in Naguabo, on the east coast of Puerto Rico
Wreckage of a house destroyed by Hurricane Maria in Naguabo, on the east coast of Puerto Rico
(Image credit: Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images)

It has been two months since Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico yet most of the US territory’s 3.5 million residents are still struggling without electricity, or hope.

Waterborne illnesses are on the rise, and health workers fear an epidemic. Nearly 500,000 homes were destroyed when the hurricane made landfall on the island on 20 September, and dozens of towns still have no running water or power. Residents barricade themselves inside at night, fearing looters.

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