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Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 6th 2025 - 04:58 UTC science and gender equality were high on the agenda in Santiago and Punta Arenas last week Baroness Jenny Chapman visited Chile for the first time The visit followed the UK’s recent accession to the CPTPP where UK joins 11 other economies across Asia and the Americas an alliance with collective GDP worth £12 trillion The UK’s accession to the agreement could boost domestic GDP by around £2 billion each year when compared to projected GDP in 2040 and is expected to benefit every nation and region in the UK.  Minister Chapman met with Deputy Foreign Minister Gloria de la Fuente as well as the Regional Governor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Jorge Flies and Mayor of Punta Arenas Claudio Radonich to discuss the strengthening UK-Chile relationship and the growing trade relationship as fellow signatories to the CPTPP She was also able to visit the Chile headquarters of Anglo American to discuss their leading sustainability work and the growing use of carbon-neutral technologies within the mining sector Minister for Latin America Jenny Chapman said: “The UK and Chile share a deep and enduring partnership built on shared values and a commitment to prosperity for both of our nations “Our recent accession to CPTPP opens exciting new opportunities for trade and collaboration and I’m pleased to be here to see our joint work – across climate innovation mining and sustainable development – in action “We are continuing to strengthen our partnerships across the Global South and ensuring that both our nations benefit from the opportunities of a dynamic Minister Chapman also unveiled a commemorative plaque honoring Luis Pardo Villalón the Chilean naval officer who played a pivotal role in the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1916 rescuing 22 stranded sailors after HMS Endurance ran aground during British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s mission to cross the South Pole the minister delivered a speech at Adolfo Ibáñez University where she helped launch the UK-funded Digital Rights Report – a publication addressing tech-facilitated gender-based violence suffered by indigenous women in Chile – emphasizing the UK’s firm commitment to promoting gender equality worldwide Baroness Chapman underlined the close working relationship between the UK and Chile with a shared commitment to tackle climate change “especially in Antarctica The plaque dedicated to Chilean mariner Pilot Luis Pardo Villalon and the Yelco steam tug crew “is a symbol of more than a century of Chile and Britain’s Antarctica collaboration” Finally “UK values the leadership of Chile in the region and our partnership working to reconnect UK with Latin America Collaboration to address challenges ranging from climate change and sustained development to inclusive growth so thanks to Punta Arenas for such an opportunity and display of actions and partnership” Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page Bavaro-Punta Cana — Reef Jet announced the start of operations for the 2025 winter season the company presents a schedule that includes flights and excursions designed to offer unforgettable experiences and strengthen connectivity in the Caribbean Reef Jet will inaugurate weekly excursions to Bahía de las Águilas travelers from Punta Cana can enjoy a full day exploring the destination in the east of the country The airline also invites its customers to experience the whale watching season up close The program includes two modalities: a full-day excursion every Wednesday and a half-day option every Friday Both are designed to provide a unique and unforgettable experience highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism Bavaro & Punta Cana January 11 Reef Jet will resume its popular Punta Cana-Santiago route to reinforce national connectivity with weekly flights on Fridays and Sundays the service will allow passengers to enjoy a flight time of just 50 minutes optimizing their journeys and strengthening ties between these two important cities in the country we are committed to offering high-quality service and punctuality as well as creating experiences that connect with the best of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean The 2025 winter season represents an exciting opportunity to continue promoting domestic tourism and strengthen our position as a reliable and dedicated operator,” said Geraint Maria Barrot the airline’s chief operating officer the airline remains faithful to its mission of offering unparalleled experiences contributing to the growth and development of the national tourism sector Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" why is it called Reef Jet not seeing any Jet there Economy North Coast Local Sports Health DominicanToday.com - The Dominican Republic News Source in English Av. Abraham Lincoln N° 452 Local 220B, Plaza La Francesa, Piantini, Santo Domingo It was two weeks after Hurricane Maria had made landfall, not far from the town of Punta Santiago in the southeast of Puerto Rico, and Arroyo still hadn’t heard from her partner, who was in grave condition with a failing heart. She said he’d been transferred to a hospital in another city, the day before the storm, and with communications down across the island, she hadn't heard from him in weeks. A year later at the same spot — with the image of her under the blue umbrella ingrained in our minds — we found Arroyo cleaning her patio with a hose. “Regular las cosas,” she replied, which I translate roughly to “so-so." “He passed away,” she said. “He had two heart attacks. The first he survived, the second he did not.” Angelina Arroyo sprays her driveway down during a hot afternoon in Punta Santiago. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)At 55 years old, José Miguel Martínez Morales joined some 3,000 islanders who would die in the wake of the storm — because of the storm “He raised three of my kids and I raised one of his,” she said Arroyo's neighborhood was hit particularly hard by the hurricane and when the floodwaters came in they swept away entire homes a stubborn reminder of the worst hurricane in living memory but the floodwaters rose more than 6 feet high and everything she had was soaked in the salty she said the drywall in her house is still damp “Nobody came to help me fix the house,” she said Arroyo said she received $10,000 from FEMA which would make her fortunate compared to neighbors who she said got nothing But she said with the cost of construction and materials skyrocketing after the storm she hasn’t been able to do much work on the house “I can’t adapt to life over there [on the mainland],” she said I can’t stand being holed up inside all the time like people do in the States I’m happy here cleaning — with my plants.” Arroyo embodies three things that so many Puerto Ricans faced over the last year — death, destruction and the heart-wrenching decision of whether to abandon the island for the mainland. And like many people struggling with the stunted return to normality, Arroyo attributes her survival to the divine. “It’s hard, but as long as you have ‘Papito Dios’ in your heart and your soul, you’ll be standing tall," she said. "That’s what gives me, the strength to stay alive." Arroyo said she was prepared to take care of her husband once he was released from the hospital. “His family wanted to bring him to a nursing home, but not me. Even if he became a vegetable, I was going to take care of him. But God didn’t want it that way.” A man fishes off the edge of the pier in Punta Santiago Hurricane Maria's storm surge and high winds ripped apart the dock sending the wooden planks two and three blocks into town (Jesse Costa/WBUR)A stone’s throw from Arroyo’s home is the town dock of Punta Santiago made a point of showing us how the dock’s planks had been lifted up by the floodwaters and strewn across the town The dock was central to Punta Santiago’s beach culture and the local fishermen used it to head out to sea “The reconstruction effort in Puerto Rico has been slow,” Morales said standing on the few planks that remained intact "The agencies responsible for the reparation of the whole island have moved extremely slowly compared to other events that have occurred in Puerto Rico like Hurricane George and Hurricane Hugo." Morales served in the National Guard and was part of the response to Hugo “There’s a tremendous difference [in how the government reacted],” he said Morales is vice president of the nonprofit PECES, which deals with everything from education to economic development. In Maria's aftermath, like many nonprofits across the island, PECES became a de facto relief organization, receiving donations from initiatives like Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico which has raised $3.8 million for groups helping Puerto Ricans on the island and in Massachusetts Morales said PECES is back to its original mission though helping the town recover from the hurricane has become part of that mission “I would say 100 percent of the houses in Punta Santiago were damaged in the storm,” he said But not everyone who believed they were entitled to federal relief dollars actually received any — including Morales himself He raised an issue that’s become one of the most controversial aspects of the government’s response to the Puerto Rican disaster: FEMA's rejection of applications for individual relief "The most important criteria to FEMA was whether people had titles "To qualify you have to prove that you are an owner.” It sounds like a reasonable requirement — and FEMA notes that it's the law — but Morales said it’s an impractical demand for owners of land passed down through generations "Because they lived their whole life there,” he said “They lived there since their grandparents owned the land … but they did not have the documentation to being owners And they were immediately rejected [by FEMA].” The problem spreads across the island of Puerto Rico. In an August letter to FEMA signed by both Massachusetts senators a group of Senate Democrats said FEMA had rejected 61 percent of the more than 1 million applications for relief More than 43,000 appeals to those rejections came in according to figures cited in the senators' letter Facing criticism over the home ownership verification process, FEMA defended its work in March, saying in a statement that it was "exhausting all options ... to help Puerto Rico disaster survivors for whom proof of ownership is slowing their recovery." According to a FEMA spokesperson on Thursday, its appeal denial rate in Puerto Rico is nearly 75 percent, which is “in line with appeal denial rates of other current open disasters,” including Texas 77 percent and Florida 74 percent. However, FEMA did not provide the initial denial rates for the three jurisdictions, citing the “complex nature of home ownership in Puerto Rico." Morales was one of those who appealed without success. “FEMA has been in the community. We can’t deny that,” he said. “But the appeals process can take months and people don’t have time to wait. This is humanity we’re talking about, people who want to return to their houses, people [who] want to work.” And in many cases, he added, “we’re talking about children." He said this is part of why so many people left Punta Santiago — an “exodus to the United States” that he had warned of a year earlier. Asked for an estimate of how many have moved, Morales pointed to his wife, a kindergarten teacher. Before the storm she had 27 students; about 10 have now left the country with their families. “We can’t just tell people, ‘Hey, don’t leave.’ This was a truly grave situation, and everybody needs to look out for their family’s well being," he said. "If we were in their shoes we would probably do the same.” Morales laments Punta Santiago's problems — the decrepit infrastructure, the economic challenges, the slow recovery — but he sees a way for things to turn around. His call to the federal government is this: “There should be investment in mitigation, so people can install flood-proof doors and windows. ... If FEMA is proactive, then when the next hurricane comes, the people will be ready. And after the next hurricane, people will say, ‘Thank you to FEMA for allowing me to make my house resilient.' ” Until then, groups like PECES have to fill the gap, and turn to others on the island to help make it possible. That’s what happened with the dock. Through the organization Unidos Por Puerto Rico, PECES secured $1.8 million to rebuild the dock, and to fix the houses of 100 families in Punta Santiago. This article was originally published on October 04, 2018. Simón Rios ReporterSimón Rios is an award-winning bilingual reporter in WBUR's newsroom Puerto Rico – The fishing pier jutting off the beach in this small fishing community was once the hub of local activity Blue tarps cover rows of roofs on nearby concrete homes which a year ago served fresh-caught fried snapper sandwiches “It’s like the hurricane hit yesterday,” said Antonio Torres “Everything that was promised never arrived.” A year after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico federal disaster coordinators point to the billions of dollars in disaster relief funds and expertise that has spread through the island reopen businesses and restore power to all corners of the island President Donald Trump called recovery efforts in Puerto Rico an “incredible unsung success” and said it was “one of the best jobs that’s ever been done.” which bore the brunt of the Category 4 storm when it roared ashore Sept underscore the uneven pace of recovery in Puerto Rico Ponce and other large cities have seen a much quicker recovery bolstered by federal funds and greater international focus hundreds of residents in Punta Santiago still live in storm-battered homes and have relied largely on volunteer groups and local churches to help them pick up the pieces "The recovery in Punta Santiago has been very head of the San Juan-based El Puente Puerto Rico which helps overlooked communities recover from Maria said besides the fact that federal disaster grants often aren’t enough to cover the cost of repairing a home police officers and other professionals since the storm has drained neighborhoods of vital services “It’s a major crisis,” Ortiz said “I don’t think throwing a whole bunch of money in a short period of time is the answer There needs to be long-term planning in terms of the recovery effort in Puerto Rico.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved more than 460,000 applications and more than $1.4 billion in direct individual and household assistance funds in Puerto Rico marking one of the largest post-disaster efforts undertaken by the agency More than 600,000 other applicants were denied because they didn’t have proper deeds to their homes – a widespread problem in Puerto Rico – or other factors the agency adjusted the requirements to ensure more applicants gain access to the funds FEMA’s federal coordinator in Puerto Rico The commonwealth government estimates it will take $139 billion "It’s a constant challenge,” Byrne said “I have responsibilities to make sure we get assistance for every survivor We also have a responsibility it’s done in a way that protects taxpayer investment here.” More: Hurricane heroes step in to offer help and healing in Puerto Rico More: Trump says Puerto Rico death toll rose 'like magic' and was in 'no way' possible More: Thousands of bottles of FEMA water abandoned in Puerto Rico on unused runway for months FEMA’s distribution of public assistance grants – used for cleaning up debris and repairing bridges roads and municipal buildings – has  been frustratingly slow executive director of the Puerto Rico Central Recovery and Reconstruction Office FEMA had dispersed about 45 percent of the funds – emergency money that is usually distributed within the first few months of a disaster While public assistance dollars are still trickling out communities can’t shift their focus to long-term rebuilding such as repairing Punta Santiago’s pier “The entire process has been very burdensome,” he said The slow federal response has been felt succinctly in Punta Santiago a seaside community of about 5,000 people once populated by slaves that worked the cane fields in the nearby island of Vieques The community has a rapidly growing elderly population and nearly half of the households live at or below the poverty rate Storm surge from Hurricane Maria pushed more than a mile inland bringing a mix of seawater and sewage into living rooms – 6 feet high in some places. In the wake of the storm residents painted "S.O.S. We Need Water/Food" on a street. A photo of the sign went viral and drew widespread attention who opened a recovery office in town.  said he realized early on that help would come from the community After Maria pushed 6 feet of storm surge into his home he and his family relocated to a Catholic church sleeping on mattresses and helping church leaders hand out hundreds of hot meals a day to residents.  The storm dwindled his fellow fishermen's fleet of boats from 15 to two and the pier they used to launch their boats remains wrecked forcing them to make perilous beach launches in a pounding surf that often leads to injuries He works the graveyard shift as a security guard in nearby Humacao to make ends meet and scrape together enough money to fix his home Without the help of groups such as the nonprofit Foundation for Puerto Rico which helps communities rebuild through bolstered tourism that has been active in the area "Any recovery here is thanks to these guys," Torres said as Foundation for Puerto Rico volunteers shuttled in and out of the "pescaderia," a gathering place for fishermen.   Angelina Ruiz-Lambides' first concern was the monkeys Ruiz-Lambides oversees the research facility that monitors 1,800 free-ranging rhesus macaque monkeys living on Cayo Santiago After confirming all the monkeys – astonishingly – had survived Maria, she shifted her focus to her staff and to the community at large.  Research students across the USA who had studied the monkeys on Cayo Santiago started a GoFundMe page that raised $65,000 for Ruiz-Lambides and her staff and other private donations helped her clear debris and repair the trailer lab and other equipment destroyed on the island by the storm.  She then redirected donations to the local community helping nine residents rebuild homes.  "It was entities or community efforts or the religious sector," she said of the months-long recovery Arroyo of P.E.C.E.S. said her group helped 1,800 residents in Punta Santiago and surrounding communities appeal their FEMA applications after the agency denied their initial requests The top reason for denials: lack of a proper deed to the house Applicants who did receive FEMA aid got widely varying amounts Those who received the grants often discovered it wasn't enough to cover the cost of repairs Her group helped about 400 families close that gap through private donations Residents continue living with water cascading into their living rooms during rainstorms while they wait for FEMA to process their appeals "Anyone who believes that the federal government has done a great job in Puerto Rico I invite them to visit Punta Santiago," Arroyo said Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker An official website of the United States government DOE’s Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team is making remarkable progress in improving local energy resilience Natural disasters in recent memory have posed significant challenges to Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and the more than three million residents it serves Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused most of the transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico to collapse leading to one of the longest blackouts in U.S history and leaving residents in some parts of the territory without electricity for almost a year Hurricane Fiona again knocked out 100% of the grid for as long as four weeks in parts of Puerto Rico underscoring the critical need for urgent electrical grid modernization in the region In response to the crisis reignited by Hurricane Fiona, President Biden tapped Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to create the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team. Housed within the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) and led by Agustín Carbó this team works across federal government agencies – including but not limited to the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Agriculture; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and Environmental Protection Agency – to cut through bureaucratic red tape and access federal funding and support current rebuilding activities in an expeditious and strategic manner The team also works closely with government leadership and energy stakeholders in Puerto Rico to speed up the deployment of critical infrastructure and provide the island with clean Join us for a public event on February 7, 2024, from 3:30–5 PM AST (2:30–4 PM EST), for a webinar on the final results of the PR100 study. an opportunity to assist DOE in identifying and assisting with intake processing of qualifying households for these critical residential solar systems DOE anticipates the first installations to begin in spring of 2024 40,000…We’re going to connect up to 40,000 of Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable households to rooftop solar and storage, thanks to $450 million from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund.Learn more: https://t.co/XfVEGVkz81 pic.twitter.com/VZd1jiLZml and DOE is leveraging the experts in six of its national laboratories to ensure energy system resilience against extreme weather events and advance energy justice locally Development of these initiatives has relied heavily on local collaboration and has placed community priorities front and center in the pursuit to improving local energy resiliency residents have lived with an unreliable and expensive electric system and DOE is working tirelessly to build the reliable grid that Puerto Ricans both need and deserve Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office’s Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team In the absence of a government policy to deal with the algae two communities in Humacao face the problem in very different ways On Alfonso XII Street in the Punta Santiago 62-year-old Bermuda Vázquez points toward the beach that is blanketed with brown seaweed Although it was a day off in midsummer to commemorate the emancipation of slavery in the United States “The thing is that one is afraid of getting ill in that water with the sargassum that stinks But you have to adapt to this sargassum,” Vázquez told the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI residents of the high end Palmas del Mar complex also deal with the problem of sargassum build-up The rotten smell caused by its decomposition is much more intense than in other areas In the outdoor area of Chincho’s Pizza & Beer restaurant “We’ve gotten used to that stench here although it stays on our clothes later,” said a restaurant waitress To manage the significant increase of this seaweed the management of the Palmas del Mar complex decided to build a wall in the water and purchased two sargassum extraction vessels personnel from the municipality of Humacao or the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) have never gone to collect sargassum “In the community we have told the [Department of] Natural Resources about this and other problems The problem is repeated in other coastal municipalities Ten years after the surge in sargassum began to be documented Puerto Rico does not have a plan at the local level — nor is there a federal plan — to deal with sargassum bursts and establish strategies to maximize the possible benefits or derived uses Although 2015 and 2018 were the peak years of algae activity, the projection for 2021 is not encouraging. In May of this year, the accumulation of sargassum in the western central Atlantic and the Caribbean exceeded the mark of all previous years for that month, according to a report from the University of South Florida In La Parguera (in the southwestern coast in Lajas) and Palmas del Mar (in the eastern coast in Humacao) the death of fish coincides with the significant decrease in oxygen levels in the water after the accumulation of sargassum between May and June according to preliminary results of a study led by scientist William Hernández of the Research and Development Center of the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus “When we compare it with the month of April 2021 [when there was no sargassum build-up] marine life that was attached to the dock structures is no longer there,” said Hernández whose research focuses on the potential impact of the accumulation of sargassum in coastal areas Hernández explained that some areas showed that “dissolved oxygen was below 3 milligrams per liter.” A level below 1 milligram per liter is considered detrimental to marine life These levels are alarming and can impact organisms like fish according to the Environmental Protection Agency In inland areas in the Palmas del Mar marina there were results “very close” to those levels Sargassum in open ocean waters provides benefits such as food and shelter for fish and other species of marine invertebrates the large masses that accumulate on the Caribbean coasts and part of the west coast of Africa represent a danger to the quality of water and the oxygenation processes that make aspects of marine life possible Sargassum decomposition results in the emission of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which are gases that endanger the health of coastal communities, marine and tourism workers and visitors, as the CPI reported in 2019 “We don’t know what the impact is regarding long-term exposure [on humans] There has been no management plan for sargassum The DNER barely has a 2015 protocol in which individuals organizations or communities must contact any of the agency’s regional offices to notify about the area affected by the accumulation of the algae the federal government has not developed policies to face the impact of this marine species in its Caribbean territories The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) considers sargassum an essential habitat its handling and manipulation are limited by federal regulations that are not updated according to the new climate realities observed since 2011 But “when does it stop being an essential habitat to become an impact on coastal ecosystems?” Hernández questioned The DNER’s Northeast Ecological Corridor Natural Reserve Management Officer said “federal agencies have a 10- to 15-year lag the NOAA’s own scientists begin to catch up and it isn’t compatible with the speed of the environmental changes that they’re supposed to be dealing with.” “It has been several years since those regulations were established especially now that there has been an increase in sargassum bursts in certain areas of the island,” Acevedo acknowledged The nauseating smell invades the coast of Palmas del Mar because sargassum accumulates in the channels of its marina a wall made of stone gabions in one of the channels inhibits the flow of the algae The wall was a privately funded and proposed local initiative Neither the central government nor the USACE were involved in its development spokespeople for the Palmas del Mar homeowner’s association told the CPI be it from the government or the municipality the [Palmas del Mar Slip Owners] Association and the community have had to come together to do this work and pay for it More than $175,000 a year is being spent to collect all the sargassum that enters the marina It’s collected with machines to then find ways to deposit it in either the landfill and in areas that let us do so but you also have to pay for taking it there because nobody delivers for free,” said Juan Bosch who is one of the Association administrators through Pelican Management and Realty Bosch said although the DNER staff are aware of the efforts in Palmas to manage the algae there is no communication between the government agency and those who lead the collection strategies within the complex located in Humacao When the DNER was asked if it supervises the collection of sargassum in different parts of the island the agency’s management officer for the northeast natural reserves Ricardo Colón did not specify how it goes about it and we try to ensure that the protocol is followed but it isn’t something that should be penalized but simply improve coordination,” added the scientist “Not a single agency has the capacity to deal with this at the Puerto Rico level.” Colón proposed a campaign to inform the public about the DNER protocol “This is a large-scale problem.” The CPI requested an interview with DNER Secretary Rafael Machargo on this issue The agency does not currently own sargassum extraction machines but it did have them during the 2013 to 2016 term DNER Press Spokesman Joel Seijo said that during that period the machines were transferred to coastal municipalities The agency is currently writing proposals to NOAA to buy specialized sargassum extraction machines Some municipalities like Ceiba have bought their own machines for these purposes Puerto Rico’s destination marketing organization (Discover Puerto Rico) which runs multi-million-dollar campaigns promoting the island’s crystalline beaches “Even the small inns [paradores] that are in the areas most affected [by sargassum] haven’t been greatly affected because we have a very active internal tourism We have multiple options in the same areas because not all [the beaches] are severely affected you have an exquisite beach,” Tomás Ramírez a member of Discover Puerto Rico’s Board of Directors which have a percentage of foreigners who can account for 35% or 45% of our reservations and those areas are less affected [by sargassum],” added Ramírez who owns the Combate Beach Resort in the town of Cabo Rojo The Tourism Company agreed in 2019 to transfer $500,000 to the DNER to develop a cleanup plan for Puerto Rico beaches affected by sargassum according to a document that the CPI had access to The acquisition of machinery and contracting of specialized services were part of the agreement but the plan was never executed due to “delays in administrative processes,” as Tourism Co Executive Director Carlos Mercado admitted to the CPI is working on reactivating the agreement to provide the DNER with additional support in its efforts to manage this situation that puts one of our most important natural resources and tourist attractions at significant risk,” said the agency head The fact that the residents of Palmas del Mar have initiated efforts to deal with the accumulation of sargassum should not be an excuse to exempt the government from its responsibility to address the problem executive director of the Palmas del Mar Homeowners Association “Neither the government nor the Department of Health are doing anything All these studies about gas emissions that we develop here are copied from the French islands [in the Caribbean] because they do an excellent job there and the French government helps neither the government of Puerto Rico nor the federal government helps,” Maldonado claimed A USACE press spokesperson notified the CPI that the federal agency has not received any request from the government of Puerto Rico to establish infrastructure to help control this problem Acevedo expressed concern about the possibility that walls or gabions such as the one erected in Palmas del Mar will continue to be developed privately “We don’t know if that will have repercussions on the open ocean waters or perhaps in other areas of the island but perhaps that sargassum could be stuck there Other problems may arise that we’re unaware of,” she said Individuals and organizations also come to Palmas del Mar to look for sargassum for research Bosch said there is no financial transaction involved when the seaweed is extracted ‘Let me have what you collected; we’re running an experiment.’ We believe it’s not a problem adding that a portion of the sargassum is used to make compost in the residential and tourist complex In Lajas, it was used to cover the municipal landfill and as fertilizer by farmers in the area, former mayor Marcos Irizarry said two years ago The recently announced project by Professor Roy Armstrong independent and governmental investigations by scientists in Puerto Rico on this phenomenon approved by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will monitor the path of sargassum through satellite images to better understand its impact on marine ecosystems off the coast of Puerto Rico The island is absent from international decisions on this issue. Between 2015 and 2021, 15 regional events in the Caribbean have been held in which protocols have been presented and regional agreements signed Anguilla and the islands linked to the Kingdom of the Netherlands have management plans and strategies to deal with sargassum The interactive map of the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) Laboratory of Optical Oceanography of the University of South Florida’s School of Marine Sciences shows images of sargassum on the coasts in real time Rafael R. Díaz Torres is a member of Report for America Para hacer que investigaciones como esta sigan siendo posibles Necesitamos tu apoyo para seguir haciendo y ampliando nuestro trabajo El CPI reconoce que el requisito fundamental para una verdadera democracia es que la ciudadanía esté bien informada y que existan entidades independientes con la capacidad de fiscalizar los poderes que accionan en la sociedad Si tiene una solicitud de investigación, queja, aclaración, 'orejita', prueba, inquietud, u observación sobre alguna información publicada por el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, escriba al correo electrónico [email protected] Los donativos que recibe el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo están exentos de contribuciones en Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos Puerto Rico (CNS) -- What Chicago Cardinal Blase J Cupich learned in visiting and talking to the people of Puerto Rico Dec a lot of people suffering" nearly three months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island In a pastoral visit made on behalf of Pope Francis the cardinal traveled throughout Puerto Rico The pope had sent the cardinal to the hurricane-battered island to make a visit before Christmas to express his deep concern for the people and reach out in solidarity on his behalf to those who are suffering who also is chancellor of Catholic Extension tapped the Chicago-based papal society to assist with his trip the group visited a variety of people and places including the motherhouse of missionary sisters Catholic Extension has a long history of working with the six dioceses of Puerto Rico providing about $1 million annually to support church construction and ministry Since its first assistance to the island in 1908 Catholic Extension's most notable contribution to Puerto Rico has been its support for the construction and repair of 1,400 church buildings "In my nearly 10 years at Catholic Extension one of the aspects of my job that I have appreciated the most is my work with the vibrant Puerto Rican church," said Joe Boland vice president of mission for Catholic Extension is their joy and their unwavering belief in God's providence Catholic Extension provided an additional $400,000 in immediate support following the hurricanes and is currently fundraising to further help the Puerto Rican church with its post-hurricane rebuilding efforts As the group traveled throughout the island the pain and misery caused by Hurricane Maria were still on full display Once-bustling town centers and business districts were shuttered in cities large and small signaling a massive loss of income and livelihood There were barely any stoplights in operation forcing drivers to engage in a white-knuckle game of "chicken" at nearly every intersection The pain and misery caused by Hurricane Maria were still on full display usually tangled like spaghetti next to thick wood and concrete poles that were snapped like twigs in Maria's ferocious winds the group noticed the darkness after sunset some of the only lights piercing the darkness were from households that could afford the large expense of running a power generator at night Boland had last visited Puerto Rico in June to understand how the island's worsening economic recession was impacting the Catholic Church he was struck "that the church in Puerto Rico is so amazingly resolute in spite of the many challenges they were facing That same impression was solidified on my trip last week with the cardinal to the island." "It is no coincidence that the patroness of Puerto Rico is Our Lady of Divine Providence who nurtures a firm belief among the faithful that God will continue to provide for their every need This is the oldest Catholic community in the Western Hemisphere and seemingly no economic crisis or hurricane can wash away their faith and hope for the future." That was evident when the group visited St but the hurricane ripped open the roof of their building space like it was a piece of foil and rendering the structure completely useless Out front on the gate was a sign advertising Mass times at nearby parishes and at the bottom of the sign someone had written Puerto Rico rises." The note was a religious adaptation of the rallying cry for the island "Puerto Rico Rises," which is ubiquitously displayed on marquees the delegation visited Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in a poor neighborhood of Caguas a 21-year-old man with an infectious smile is the lay coordinator who takes care of this mission He and a band of volunteers cut down all the trees and debris that buffeted this small which was built with funds from Catholic Extension They have yet to remove the giant palm tree that fell on the adjacent parish hall destroying the place they stored food and clothing for the poor and where they offered religious education He said that he and his volunteer team would keep plugging along with cleanup; they also have already begun fundraising to help get their beloved church community back on its feet in Punta Santiago -- where Hurricane Maria first hit Puerto Rico and effectively flattened this community with winds that reached nearly 200 miles per hour -- Cardinal Cupich and the rest of the group pulled up to the small Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel As soon as Cardinal Cupich got out of the car the church bells began to ring and church members huddled inside their Catholic Extension-built chapel It was one of the few buildings in the community left standing offered a passionate message to the cardinal describing all the ways the tiny Catholic mission had helped the community after the storm by feeding people and helping clean the homes of the elderly Father Colon implored Cardinal Cupich: "Tell the pope that we have seen the fruits of giving of ourselves and that the Lord has blessed us with the cross but through it all we have experienced the balm of his mercy Cardinal Cupich said that many people have the capacity to be resilient but that in a special way the Puerto Rican Catholic community is "resilient with joy and happiness and that is something that I am witnessing on this trip." "We should all admire the Puerto Rican people for their passion especially in this moment of great difficulty Puerto Rico is a unique and important part of the rich landscape of our diverse American culture." who began sending Extension's support to the Puerto Rico Church exactly 110 years ago we must embrace Puerto Rican Catholics as our fellow American Catholics The need continues to be great on the island "These are fellow Americans," Cardinal Cupich said these are countrymen and we need as a nation to rally around the people who are suffering." Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. 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Jesse Costa PhotographerJesse Costa is the multimedia producer for WBUR Pablo Figueroa keeps his belongings wedged into a corner of his home Misael Peralta and Nereida Claudio are living in a tent pitched in a relative’s garage Paula Cruz Ortiz wonders when someone will remove the tree that fell on her house Amancio Acosta Rivera can’t stop water from seeping through the walls when it rains Alonso Millan Ubile sees the mold in his bathroom grow worse every day a team of New York Times journalists visited Punta Santiago a small town in southeast Puerto Rico near where Hurricane Maria made landfall We documented the damage that remains from the storm in more than 150 homes People here have waited months for repairs with little relief Read this story in Spanish Maritza Cruz Sánchez springs into a well-rehearsed 30-minute ritual: She climbs a ladder to where her roof used to be and sucks on a hose to siphon puddles from the plastic tarp suspended over her house The tarp is held aloft by a few thin wooden posts which have begun to warp and now seem almost certain to collapse The temporary contraption that shelters Ms Cruz and what little she still owns has been in place since March The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave her $6,000 to replace waterlogged belongings but nothing to help make her house habitable again “I am thankful for the little they gave me,” she said the deadliest storm to hit Puerto Rico in over 100 years slammed into the island’s southeast coast The tourist and fishing town of 5,000 people bore a terrible share of Maria’s initial fury Almost 650 houses flooded with water from the sea; others were inundated by an overflowing lake Many homes lost walls and roofs in winds that reached 155 miles per hour when the storm made landfall An aerial photo of Punta Santiago’s handwritten When the Puerto Rico government kicked off a recent public relations campaign to highlight a year of recovery Times journalists visited 163 homes in two neighborhoods in Punta Santiago to cover what progress had been made in the last 12 months They found a community with signs of fresh paint and But in neighborhoods where residents live on meager pensions and disability checks there were gutted kitchens and electrical wires running randomly along unfinished walls Roofs were covered with plywood or plastic A number of families lived in single rooms in unfurnished houses the walls of her house stained in black mold that gave her a lung infection were bathing and washing dishes with the aid of a neighbor’s hose stuck through a window Roberto Albino had an inch of water inside his house “They did a ‘magnificent job.’ President Trump says so himself,” Ms even after years of responding to devastating storms the federal government struggles to help get people back in functioning homes after a natural disaster Residents told stories of FEMA claims denied and their appeals frustrated Federal grants helped a bit but were not nearly enough to pay for repairs FEMA’s work in Puerto Rico was the longest sustained domestic airborne food and water mission in the nation’s history The agency has never distributed more food or installed more generators And its effort to get people back in their homes was massive too: The $1.6 billion the agency allocated for direct emergency home repairs will be one of the largest housing programs the federal government has ever attempted FEMA spent another $1.4 billion on grants to homeowners to repair or rebuild their homes and help them pay for temporary lodging Yet the record in Punta Santiago and elsewhere shows that the federal government failed to take into account the poverty that plagued the island even before the storm Unlike survivors of hurricanes along the Atlantic Seaboard or the Texas Gulf Coast many Puerto Ricans were not able to take FEMA’s small assistance grants and couple them with their own resources to make their homes habitable again — they had no savings or credit to fall back on Up to a third of all Puerto Ricans do not have bank accounts Only 15 percent of those who applied for FEMA help had homeowner’s insurance The result is that hundreds of thousands of people across the island are still living in homes in desperate need of repair plagued by bureaucratic delays and regulations that failed to take into account the hundreds of thousands in Puerto Rico who had no clear title to their properties people asked for help in getting the most basic kinds of repairs — for missing roofs soaked belongings — then waited for months and often did not get enough to even start the process Of the 1.1 million households who requested help from FEMA The median grant given to repair homes was $1,800 compared with about $9,127 paid out to survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas FEMA spent nearly twice as much for housing repair grants in Texas as it did in Puerto Rico though the money went to 51,000 fewer people that may be because houses are more expensive to rebuild in Texas there are many factors,” said Daniel Llargués it’s different from one place to another.” FEMA’s federal coordinating officer in Puerto Rico stressed that federal emergency aid was never intended to restore people’s homes and possessions to their original condition “I think it’s important to realize what FEMA’s role is we’re not here to make everybody whole,” Mr “None of our programs are designed to fix everything that went wrong for individual families More than 3,300 people in Puerto Rico received the agency’s maximum grant of $33,000 was paid out along a standard distribution range but it’s just like anything else: it’s a normal bell curve,” he said Two-thirds of people in Puerto Rico who got housing repair grants from FEMA received less than $3,000 About 1.1 million households sought help from 746 of the area’s 1,554 homes were so badly damaged they needed emergency repairs in order to be habitable But only 512 families were eligible for cash grants for their damage A new roof of cheap corrugated zinc typically starts at about $5,000 and might blow off again in the next hurricane; a concrete roof that could survive future storms costs about $15,000 FEMA’s damage estimates often seemed to bear no relation to reality the secretary of public safety for Puerto Rico The commonwealth’s government challenged FEMA’s initial wave of assessments demanding a review because they were so low Homeowners who did not get enough help from FEMA grants could eventually turn to a $1.6 billion program funded by FEMA but run by the Puerto Rico Department of Housing teams of contractors were dispatched to complete minor repairs in order to get people back in their homes as soon as possible The damage estimates developed under that program came back much higher where FEMA’s median damage assessment was $1,361 it is likely that neither was entirely reliable Puerto Rico’s estimates included markups for the overhead and management fees for construction companies doing the work did not come anywhere near what people needed the Puerto Rico program did not begin work in earnest until nearly five months after the storm the program had finished work on 80,700 homes; another 30,000 repairs were either still underway or had not yet started was a bureaucracy that delayed decision-making and required local officials to upload millions of pages of documents for invoicing alone the deputy secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Housing said FEMA would schedule a dozen meetings to discuss a project only to change the decision-making teams — and decisions — months later “You sit down in October to talk about a spend plan that starts in January And then you get in January and somebody comes back to you and says we’re going to do this other process,’” he said “Now you start performing or doing that process comes March and they change that back to another system.” the percentage of homes that had been repaired was in the single digits In a town with a 25 percent unemployment rate and where more than half of the wage earners make less than $20,000 a year said she was among the homeowners who were denied a FEMA grant because they lacked title to their homes where property is often passed among family members without paperwork She was referred to the Small Business Administration and was turned down again this time because her income did not meet requirements receives about $737 a month in disability benefits and has no other income and her respiratory problems keep her from returning to work The tarp on her roof was installed by a nonprofit group out of Washington State and an anonymous philanthropist gave her and others in town a $1,500 debit card rode out the storm in the house where he has lived his entire life He came back the next day to find that water and raw sewage had ruined the downstairs Figueroa said he spent a full day waiting in line at a FEMA service center Homeowners had to bring their own food and water “They had me make a summary of everything that was lost,” he said Figueroa does not recall how long he waited for someone to come check out his damage but FEMA’s own report shows the average wait was 39 days far longer than the agency’s response time after most big storms but they kept getting lost on their way to people’s homes an inspector might do a dozen inspections a day “We’re going to find a better way to do housing inspections,” Mr Figueroa received $6,000 in the fall for his personal belongings but after buying a refrigerator and a few other things He said he did not receive a response about replacing the roof he learned his lesson and got there by 5 a.m He found up to 400 people already waiting; they had arrived the night before A friendly woman there told him he had not received a grant to repair the roof because he lacked the title to his home allowing people to submit a sworn statement instead Figueroa is unclear about whether he ever sent one He also applied for help to Tu Hogar Renace for direct repairs he is living in the downstairs part of his house because with parts of the upstairs still covered only with a tarp Figueroa and others living in limbo may get help from a $20 billion allocation headed Puerto Rico’s way from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development FEMA also has a program to directly rebuild homes that are too damaged to repair The agency set aside $462 million to do the work said anyone flying into Puerto Rico can look out the airplane window and see the patchwork of blue tarps covering homes installed as temporary protection from the elements Permanent replacements are just what they were a year ago: pending This article was funded in part through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation Reporting was contributed by Patricia Mazzei from Miami and Robert Gebeloff and Tim Wallace from New York Santo Domingo.- According to the latest global report from the Mastercard Economics Institute the top 10 trending destinations for US travelers from June to August 2024 include four spots in the Caribbean: Oranjestad Oranjestad ranks globally as the tenth trending destination during the same period Punta Cana stands out as the eighth trending tourist destination for this summer The tourism sector in 2024 is witnessing significant growth with consumer travel spending robust and notable increases in passenger traffic observed through March 2024 as outlined in the “Travel Trends 2024” report This comprehensive report offers insights into the evolving landscape of the travel industry across 74 markets Tourism May 16 countries with more affordable hotel options are experiencing exceptional performance in tourism contributing to their economies’ growth as travel continues to recover there has been a noticeable increase in vacation duration rising from an average of 4.5 days in 2020 to 5.5 days in 2024 with Barbados seeing an increase from an average of 7.8 to 8.5 days This extension is attributed to factors such as affordability and favorable climate conditions one of the worst I have seen and I have seen many I could not even walk the streets in peace w/o being molested/bothered turn the country into an uncomfortable oven Chalk up the story line as marketing bait to get tourists to arrive during slow season Jesse Costa PhotographerJesse Costa is the multimedia producer for WBUR. Four days into our travels around a hurricane-ravaged island, we thought it couldn’t get any worse. We’d been to the mountains and we’d been to the shoreline, and the destruction is varying but constant. Still, we weren’t prepared for the kind of total devastation that the municipality of Humacao had suffered, in the southeast of the island where Hurricane Maria first made landfall. Constantly hunting for Massachusetts connections, the plan was to find the mother of a friend of mine from Boston, who’d recently married a Puerto Rican man and moved to the town of Punta Santiago. The problem is there’s no phone communication there, and not until we were on the road to Punta Santiago did we get word that she wouldn’t be around to receive us. We drove through a part of Punta Santiago that’s situated between the ocean and a channel of water. When flooding happens here, the water has nowhere to escape and flows into the neighborhoods. I’d been in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and the devastation near the water in Punta Santiago was on the same level. Punta Santiago resident Angelina Arroyo cleans knives and plastic containers under an umbrella to shield her from the hot sun Her belongings are scattered about the backyard as she tries to salvage what she can after the flooding of her home (Jesse Costa/WBUR)House after house after house everyone has stories: people’s cars totaled people’s worldly possessions soaked with contaminated water and sitting in stinking piles in the hot sun and now the hurricane has taken everything from them and there’s no work to earn the money to reconstruct we met two North Americans: a wiry woman from Houston with spiky hair and neck tattoos who’d come as a sort of disaster relief vigilante and a wide-eyed shiny bald commercial airline pilot based in New York who’s hoping to establish an “air bridge” of aid to Puerto Rico They say they’ve arranged to travel to Ponce in the south beginning at the airport as supplies come in then do a “ride-along” with government groups to the villages to make sure the goods aren’t lost to “corruption.” They were in Punta Santiago talking to Sister Nancy Madden Madden spoke rapid-fire English: so much to say and so little time She says Maria brought one of the most severely traumatic experiences anybody could live “It’s not going to help to have water for one day and not have water for the next week it’s not good enough to do have food for one day and not have it for the next week it’s not going to help if you lost your job and you can’t find another job.” Madden told me Puerto Rico needs massive help to return to normal — and thus avert a massive migration of Puerto Ricans from places like Punta Santiago “There’s a whole exodus from Puerto Rico that we can’t let happen,” she said It’s a beautiful island with beautiful people — some of the best people in the world.” Listen here to Simón's feature on Puerto Rico's symphony coming back together: In the afternoon we traveled west to the municipality of Loiza, which like so much of this island was slammed by Maria. In Loiza there is a group called Taller Salud, or health workshop, dedicated to the empowerment of women in the areas of reproductive rights and healthy sexuality. They're also set to receive money from the Boston initiative, and so the ladies had shifted their regular agenda to deal with problems related to the storm. They showed us their office in Parcelas Vieques, which has been transformed into a donation processing center. Volunteers of the Taller Salud in Loiza assemble bags of nonperishable food items for residents who need them. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Then we traveled to a town called Pinones where Taller Salud had helped set up a community center, with a community kitchen that offers hot meals three times a week, and even a zen-like space where people can get massages and acupuncture. One of the women coming out of an acupuncture session said she lost everything in the hurricane -- her houses and all her possessions. She had a bad case of arthritis in her knee and said acupuncture alleviated her pain, allowing her to stretch out limbs that had been so swollen she couldn’t extend them all the way. She told us she was deeply stressed, not only by her own situation, but by spending her days helping other people. A Maria survivor helping other Maria survivors. Isabel Garcia had a tree fall on her property in Barrio Las Monjas. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)So many of the organizations that work on social justice, on environmental protection, on women’s rights and other causes, all these groups are now dedicated to disaster relief. If their primary goal is to help people, they’re spending these days helping folks get tarps for their roofs, food for their bellies and water that’s safe to drink. Today we’re off to Humacao, a town called Punta Santiago, to try and find the mother of a friend of mine back in Boston. Apparently she’s OK, but the area -- coastal, on the southeast of Puerto Rico — was one of the hardest hit by the hurricane, which made landfall there. We woke up at 6 a.m. yesterday and headed for breakfast around the corner at a place running on gasoline. On the plane to San Juan, a Puerto Rican woman who noticed my NPR T-shirt stopped me to quiz me on our plans. It turns out her plans were far more interesting. Ivonne Beltran surveys the area of her home in Arecibo (Jesse Costa/WBUR)From there we hopped into her pickup truck and headed to the municipality of Corozal in the interior of Puerto Rico By now the people (and I use this word exclusively) had cleared the roads in their neighborhoods -- the force of thousands of Puerto Ricans in the days after Maria allowing us to traverse the countryside. I can’t count the times I asked Ivonne to stop so we could take pictures and talk to people, about how they’d lost everything they owned, about how they said no single government official -- not FEMA, not the governor’s office, not the local mayor -- had stopped by to check on them. One house we saw was reduced to its studs, and the only thing left was a shiny white toilet bowl. Finally we went to a lumberyard in Corozal that Ivonne said had formed the foundation of her family’s success -- what allowed her to go to college and practice law, and similar stories for other family members. Now it was in ruins, like much of Puerto Rico is in ruins, and she said it has all depressed one of her uncles to the point of attempting suicide. Ivonne told me her job was to cheer people up. You can’t underestimate the importance of a positive attitude, but the people here are going to need a lot more than good spirits. A lumberyard owned by Ivonne Beltran's family in Corozal was completely destroyed by Hurricane Maria. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Tuesday, Oct. 10 — 10:30 a.m. ESTWe arrived in San Juan yesterday on a flight from Boston that was only about half full. We visited a neighborhood called Juana Matos, in the municipality of Cataño, that reeked of rotting garbage, apparently because of a backup in the waste disposal system. A community leader there, Pedro Carrión, told us he is concerned for the public health risks this poses, in addition to stagnant water all around. A man in the Juana Matos community rummages through the debris where his house once stood. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Eighty percent of the homes have been partially or completely destroyed. The neighborhood is adjacent to a conservation area, which also suffered heavy damage. Several of the people we spoke to had lost much of the structures of their homes -- some had been reduced to piles of rubble -- and all the belongings inside. But there seemed to be widespread optimism, smiles in the face of adversity and the belief that aid is arriving to the island but not made its way to the communities. Everybody we spoke to in the village vowed to rebuild. Despite the stoicism, we were told that at night you can hear people wailing, unleashing their emotions after maintaining a smile throughout the day. Pedro is hoping to arrive this week, and he wants to take his mother, who’s 81, back with him to Boston -- at least until some basic things are restored on the island. Today we are headed to Arecibo (see the map below) to meet a Puerto Rican woman from Revere who is checking in on her property there. She brought with her on the plane a chainsaw and $300 worth of nails. I'm hoping to find out what they will be used for exactly. Arecibo is in northwest Puerto Rico (Google Map)This article was originally published on October 10, 2017. One of several free-roaming dogs who live on the beach at Punta Santiago in Puerto Rico who have formed a loose association with a group of homeless men also living on the beach All of us who rescue animals in trouble, or care about animal welfare, may take inspiration from our successes and triumphs. Rejoicing in the good outcomes can fortify us for when the going gets tough it's important to understand and talk about the complexities and setbacks involved in rescuing animals We must all learn to see and talk about the wonderful dogs and cats of this world as unique individuals To cultivate this understanding in our children — and others we may mentor — opens the doors to identifying and tackling the larger issues that contribute to the suffering of other animals on this planet That's just what Christy Hoffman has done conservation and ecology at Canisius College in Buffalo journeyed to Puerto Rico from May 29 through June 5 with six students to learn more about the island's problem with stray dogs This trip to Puerto Rico was not Hoffman's first; at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of study, she carried out behavioral research on the rhesus macaques of Cayo Santiago the "Monkey Island" off Puerto Rico's coast she became highly attuned also to Puerto Rico's stray dogs: recent estimates suggest that at least 100,000 — and perhaps as many as 1 million — dogs are homeless in this small commonwealth dogs are rarely adopted from shelters and rescue centers in Puerto Rico Hoffman and her students visited some of these facilities learned from the people in charge and volunteered themselves as short-term The most eye-opening experiences for the Canisius group came from visiting the island's beautiful beaches and encountering firsthand the numerous dogs on them The team was even able to send two stray dogs, Rico and Starfish, each found on the beach, back to the mainland United States for adoption. This destination is not uncommon for Puerto Rican animal rescue: during the week, the Canisius team assembled at the airport to observe as 19 stray dogs, rescued by a cluster of organizations and people led by All Sato Rescue were flown to the U.S the group witnessed cross-species interactions that were unfamiliar Hoffman's student Kaitlyn Simmons described the situation in an essay: "There were a few men who slept on the beach at night and had formed friendships of a kind with these dogs Although these dogs were not owned or claimed by anyone these men became their protectors at night They slept on the beach together and the men took it upon themselves to ensure that these dogs would not be picked up by officials who were trying to clear the beaches of dogs The dynamic of this little band of men and dogs was astounding During the day everyone went their own way and ultimately nobody was accountable to each other but come nightfall they formed a group for companionship and protection I found this quite fascinating because this relationship is so unlike the human/dog relationship we are so often used to." In corresponding by email with Hoffman and reading the essays written by her students I was struck most forcefully by two aspects of the trip The hardest part for the group emotionally was having to walk away from charismatic as is true with many animal-rescue situations it was simply impossible to help more than a fraction in need was to balance a tendency to gravitate to individual dogs with the need to focus on variables that impact the entire community (including the dogs) although many Puerto Rican volunteers work tirelessly for these animals Many of the beach dogs were so personable (so to speak!) that it was pretty clear they had once been attached to a loving person or had lived in a loving household Trained in anthropology as well as ecology and zoology Hoffman got the students to consider systemic issues that impact both people and dogs including resource availability and poverty Hoffman explained it to me by email this way: what is crucial to understand is that the situation requires that some individuals be able to look past the immediate needs of the dogs right in front of them and focus on figuring out where the dogs are coming from and what can be done to improve the human-dog relationship within households in Puerto Rico." it is apparent from the animal welfare activists with whom we spoke in Puerto Rico that many people are receptive to spay/neuter voucher programs but that the demand currently greatly outpaces the available supply of these vouchers What can be done to generate more financial support for these voucher programs are people able to meet the basic needs of their pets (food would pet food pantries help people keep their animals Would a fundraising campaign geared toward securing dog houses and kennels or fencing help people keep their dog How feasible is it for people to get their dogs to a vet clinic Is there a need for more mobile vet clinics Is there a need for training-related resources How might humane education programs facilitate improvements in animal welfare?" "Sorting this out and helping the dogs of Puerto Rico takes a community of people whose collective expertise ranges from helping individual dogs to helping entire communities." I should note that no one involved in the rescue of these dogs is indifferent to the plight of the people in Puerto Rico, many of whom lack the resources to meet their own everyday needs. With this in mind, I was glad to see Puerto Rico included in a major funding initiative announced by the U.S. government in April, with monies earmarked to aid the homeless is that the team consulted with local experts who guided them in how to spend their time most helpfully; made a difference for individual dogs whose lives are now changed for the better; and made good use of the "anthropology" part of anthrozoology to look in wide scope at how change in the future for people as well as dogs might be brought about at the community level once again by close collaboration with local experts Isn't this an excellent model for thinking about and acting on animal-rescue issues The Canisius students were profoundly affected by their short time in Puerto Rico—this much was clear from their essays Their writings underscored for me that it's not only the outright successes for animals that should inspire us it's also collaborative efforts to get a grip on the reasons animals need to be rescued in the first place in reflecting upon her week in Puerto Rico "Each and every one of us has a chance to make a difference suffering is not species-specific and when one of us suffers Barbara's most recent book on animals was released in paperback in April. You can keep up with what she is thinking on Twitter: @bjkingape Become an NPR sponsor A man rides his bicycle through a damaged road in Toa Alta The storm killed at least nine and left Puerto Rico without power Hurricane Maria devastated an already battered Caribbean, which was recovering after Hurricane Irma hit weeks before The entire island of Puerto Rico was left without power and at least nine people have died across the Caribbean “Months and months and months and months are going to pass before we can recover from this,” Felix Delgado Croix was spared from facing the brunt of Hurricane Irma’s damage the island faced five hours of hurricane force winds from Maria The hurricane claimed 31 lives throughout the Caribbean After downgrading to a tropical storm, Maria has strengthened to a hurricane once again Wednesday morning possibly bringing tropical storm-force winds to North Carolina through Wednesday David Cruz Marrero watches the waves at Punta Santiago pier hours before the imminent impact of Maria Trees are toppled in a parking lot at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan People take shelter at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan A motorist drives on the flooded waterfront in Fort-de-France on the French Caribbean island of Martinique Locals rest inside a shelter before the arrival of the Hurricane Maria in Punta Cana A parking lot is flooded near Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan Puerto Rico after the passage of Hurricane Maria A damaged boat is seen on the mangles after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Salinas after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico Residents bathe in a natural spring in the hill town of Toa Alta A resident stands at her doorstep as she looks at the waves in Saint-Pierre Toppled trees lie on a tennis court after Hurricane Maria battered St Cars drive through a flooded road in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in San Juan A woman pulls a trash can past a destroyed home as Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico in Fajardo San Juan is seen during a blackout after Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept Residents seek shelter inside Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan and Puerto Rico flags hang on a damaged church after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Carolina Human and non-human primate studies show that in adolescence A juvenile rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) in Punta Santiago “As is widely known, adolescence is a time of heightened impulsivity and sensation seeking, leading to questionable choices,” said University of Pittsburgh’s Professor Beatriz Luna, corresponding author of a review paper published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences this behavioral tendency is based on an adaptive neurobiological process that is crucial for molding the brain based on gaining new experiences.” and neurophysiological comparisons between us and macaque monkeys show that this difficulty in stopping reactive responses is similar in our primate counterparts who during puberty also show limitations in tests where they have to stop a reactive response “The monkey is really the most powerful animal model that comes closest to the human condition,” said Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Professor Christos Constantinidis “They have a developed prefrontal cortex and follow a similar trajectory with the same patterns of maturation between adolescence and adulthood.” Taking risks and having thrilling adventures during this period isn’t necessarily a bad thing “You don’t have this perfect inhibitory control system in adolescence It has survived evolution because it’s actually allowing for new experiences to provide information about the environment that is critical form optimal specialization of the brain to occur,” Professor Luna said “Understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie this transitional period in our primate counterparts is critical to informing us about this period of brain and cognitive maturation.” Human neurological development during this time is characterized by changes in structural anatomy — there is an active pruning of redundant and un-used neural connections and a strengthening of white matter tracts throughout the brain that will determine the template for how the adult brain will operate by adolescence all foundational aspects of brain organization are in place and during this time they undergo refinements that will enable the most optimal way to operate to deal with the demands of their specific environment the development of neural activity patterns that allow for the preparation of a response seems to be a key element of this phase of development — and essential to successful performance on self-control tasks This all suggests that self-control isn’t just about the ability “Executive function involves not only reflexive responses but actually being prepared ahead of time to create an appropriate plan,” Professor Constantinidis said “This is the change between the adolescent and adult brain and it is strikingly clear both in the human data and in the animal data.” This phase of development is essential to shaping the adult brain “It is important for there to be a period where the animal or the human is actively encouraged to explore because gaining these new experiences will help mold what the adult trajectories are going to be,” Professor Luna said “It’s important to have this conversation and comparison between human and animal models so that we can understand the neural mechanisms that underlie vulnerability during this time for impaired development such as in mental illness but importantly to inform us in how to find ways to correct those trajectories.” Christos Constantinidis & Beatriz Luna Neural Substrates of Inhibitory Control Maturation in Adolescence Trends in Neurosciences 42 (9): 604-616; doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.07.004 Cayo Santiago — a small island off the coast of the Puerto Rican mainland and a popular fieldwork site for Yale primate researchers — was directly hit by Hurricane Maria last month The hurricane made landfall at the height of its power subjecting the island’s population of more than 1,000 macaque monkeys to devastating 150-mph winds most of the monkey population seems to have survived but all of the infrastructure on the island — the labs where researchers do work the water systems to get the monkeys fresh water everything — was totally destroyed,” said psychology and cognitive science professor Laurie Santos whose research at the Yale Comparative Cognition Laboratory explores primate cognition a psychology graduate student who spent the summer conducting fieldwork at Cayo Santiago which is home to the longest running primate field site in the world said it was remarkable that a large majority of the macaques survived despite the destruction of the island’s vegetation and contamination of the island’s freshwater sources with saltwater The Cayo Santiago Biological Field Station which is located in the mainland town of Punta Santiago And many of the station’s staff members suffered damages to their homes and are running low on essential supplies there’s a lot of concern around the staff of the island and the locals of Punta Santiago because they’re pretty much stranded and really having a hard time getting enough food who also conducted fieldwork at Cayo Santiago this summer “Some of the staff members have lost everything.” seeing the destruction was particularly hard in light of her experiences on the island She also expressed admiration for the devotion and selflessness of the staff who have continued to care for the macaques in the face of dire circumstances “The homes of many of the staff were damaged by Maria including one staff member whose house was completely destroyed,” said Angelina Ruiz-Lambides the scientist in charge of the field station “Yet the staff got the boat in the water to feed the monkeys a day after the storm and have been working hard ever since.” Santos said a team of researchers from New York University and the University of Pennsylvania surveyed the extent of the damage to the island via helicopter researchers have been raising money to help the staff at Punta Santiago and to ensure that the macaques receive critically needed supplies In addition to conducting a full census of the monkey population researchers on the island have been working to repair the field site’s water collection and delivery system and to clear debris from pathways according to Ruiz-Lambides and Lauren Brent a lecturer at the Centre for Research in Animal Behavior at the University of Exeter The active data collection process on the island has halted for the moment and rebuilding the site will take some time She added that her current priorities include delivering essential supplies to the island and ensuring all staff members’ safety she has coordinated efforts to deliver essential supplies like batteries A large number of researchers in psychology and behavioral anthropology began their work at Cayo Santiago since the island allows researchers to conduct fieldwork with ready access to housing Many of these researchers still feel connected to the island and have donated funds or offered help in the wake of the hurricane Santos said it was touched to see how many former Yale students have donated to the hurricane relief efforts But she warned that the entire site would be jeopardized if the facilities do not resume operation soon “It would be incredibly sad if we lost this enormous resource,” Santos wrote in her email “We need to act now and act quickly in order to help this site and community Ruiz-Lambides said she hopes the hurricane will not have long-term consequences for the island and future research Ruiz-Lambides said she has been asking for continued support from colleagues “It’s good to see that so much support has been generated for Cayo through social media but there’s still so much work left to be done,” Roy said “It’s really imperative that people in our positions of privilege kind of do everything we can to help.” The GoFundMe page for relief for Cayo Santiago employees has raised more than $47,000 of its $50,000 goal With its central Caribbean location and natural harbour at San Juan the island was a strategic asset for the Spanish for four centuries “front and vanguard of all my Western Indies and the most important of them and most coveted by the enemies.” On the other hand its rugged terrain was less productive than Hispaniola expensive to fortify and the garrison in San Juan kept deserting because the Spanish kings rarely paid their troops This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “After the hurricane” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents Taiwanese are growing more doubtful that they can fend off their hostile neighbour The Trump administration’s fickleness is adding to the island’s anxieties As other countries age, they will need African youth Their huge endowments are not easy to cash in The Ivy League sees little point in fighting the federal government in court A colony of monkeys off the coast of Puerto Rico mostly survived a direct hit by Hurricane Maria but an international team of researchers who have studied the 1,000 free-ranging Rhesus monkeys are scrambling to assist survivors and the staff who serve them on the tiny island which now lacks vegetation and fresh water “Cayo Santiago is a small island off the coast of mainland Puerto Rico and the monkeys have been subjects in scientific research since the 1930s which makes this site the longest running primate field site in the world,” said Laurie Santos professor of psychology at Yale University who has worked at the site for over 23 years the tropical island on the southeast coast was hit with 150-miles-per-hour winds from Maria a Category 4 hurricane which devastated Puerto Rico and other areas of the Caribbean there wouldn’t have been many places for the animals to take refuge,” said Lauren Brent assistant professor at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour support staff who managed to reach the island say all six social groups that call the island home have been accounted for.  “Although the animals have braved the storm the vegetation on the island has been decimated and the infrastructure providing life-sustaining fresh water has been destroyed” said Noah Snyder-Mackler assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington And the people living in surrounding communities are suffering even more The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico — which currently has limited electricity and water — has had a dire impact on the neighboring community of Punta Santiago and the region of Humacao in general Many of the staff who live near the site have lost everything and limited phone service has made it impossible to contact others.  The site and the staff who support it have furthered groundbreaking research that cannot be done almost anywhere else The monkeys roam free on a natural tropical island but also are so habituated to humans that researchers have unprecedented access into their daily lives This microcosm of monkey society has shed light onto questions as diverse as how they think as well as the genetic underpinnings of these diverse behaviors A team of researchers from several institutions — Yale and University of Washington — are organizing a relief effort to help both staff and monkeys “This fragile population somehow weathered this awful storm but we need to act quickly to save them and the important scientific possibilities they represent,” noted Michael Platt Riepe University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania “Unless we immediately rebuild the infrastructure on the island as well as the lives of the people that support it this important resource may disappear.” Two GoFundMe sites have been set up in conjunction with this relief effort: Cayo Santiago Monkeys: Maria Relief and Relief for Cayo Santiago Employees made their way through the rubble and began to account for their losses Estimates in dollars and cents of what Hurricane María destroyed would take a while A generalized sense of uncertainty and doom was everywhere while then governor Ricardo Rosselló assessed the conditions in which the island was left went to see what remained of the house that her first son’s father had built more than 30 years ago a university student and part-time employee was traveling from his father-in-law’s house in Las Piedras to Punta Santiago on the eastern side of the island where he lives with his wife mixed with that of the nearby overflowing pipes had flooded the house   that they were just remodeling It was nighttime and in the same neighborhood Guillermo Arroyo waited on the roof of his house It was his granddaughter’s husband who found and rescued him The reconstruction of Candida’s house will cost about $42,275 A “strong and resilient” Puerto Rico, as detailed by Rosselló before U.S. Congress in 2018 when presenting his Puerto Rico Economic Development and Recovery Plan, would cost $139 billion two years later the federal agencies had approved $21,044,425,967 as of July 31 Puerto Rico faces a tangle of bureaucracy for the disbursement of money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA,) the main source of funds for the island’s recovery after Hurricane María FEMA has applied to an entire jurisdiction a provision of the Robert T Stafford Act on Disaster and Emergency Assistance that was included as an amendment after Hurricane Sandy in 2013 it had only been applied to develop 258 projects in 28 states Section 428 allows reconstruction in a stronger and more resilient manner as the Stafford Act was designed so that FEMA only subsidized repairs that restore the affected facilities to the conditions they were in before the disaster regardless of whether they were already unsafe The negotiation of the guidelines to apply 428 to all of Puerto Rico was mainly carried out by the Central Office of Recovery an entity that Rosselló created in October 2017 to receive and distribute federal funds available for the island’s recovery COR3 was created as a division of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3 Authority) to guarantee “the efficient and effective use of resources available for recovery” and minimize the duplication of work among government entities COR3’s creation preceded the fifth amendment to the disaster declaration in which President Trump required the establishment of a grant oversight authority to receive FEMA Public Assistance and Disaster Mitigation funds Rosselló appointed Omar Marrero as executive director of COR3 who at the time also served as executive director of the Convention Center District Authority and the P3 Authority Each agency had offices in different places He was also the governor’s authorized representative (GAR) before FEMA “We had to address a credibility issue and concerns at the federal level so we established a centralized office,” he said the island’s primary source of recovery grants which the federal agency has estimated will amount to $65 billion the Government of Puerto Rico has only included $49.0 billion in the Fiscal Plan Part of COR3’s duties are to disburse funds that will come from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program to agencies municipalities and nonprofit organizations for reconstruction projects the Puerto Rico Department of Housing manages HUD’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG–DR) Program has $19.9 billion in funds allocated to Puerto Rico The Rosselló administration proposed that the Community Socioeconomic Development Office (Odsec in Spanish) would oversee the CDBG-DR funds allocated to Puerto Rico as reflected in a memorandum from HUD’s Office of the Inspector General Odsec would be responsible for the planning administration and supervision of the program Odsec would delegate   to three other entities: The Housing Finance Authority (AFV in Spanish) the Infrastructure Financing Authority (AFI in Spanish) and the Department of Economic Development and Commerce But federal agencies rejected Rosselló’s plan Among HUD’s concerns were that it was a new agency created in February 2017 of which there was no performance data on its management of these types of funds It is also mentioned that Odsec had 103 employees 32 of whom worked in the now defunct Office of the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs (OCAM in Spanish,) against which HUD’s Office of the Inspector General made accusations for improper reporting on the use of funds and their use for ineligible purposes It also noted that they did not adequately follow up on fund recipients The report highlights “Puerto Rico’s inability to spend the 2008 disaster funds in a timely manner.” Omar Marrero told the CPI that he was unaware of this memo When Rosselló went before Congress for the first time after María on Nov he presented the “Rebuilding a Better Puerto Rico” report which required $94 billion to rebuild the island The executive director of COR3 explained that the $94 billion figure that Rosselló included in that report corresponded to a preliminary assessment of the damages and the cost that a stronger and more resilient reconstruction would entail Marrero said Rosselló’s team had seen the Eye of the Storm report which the state of Texas had published a few weeks earlier estimating at $61 billion the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey which entered through the Texas Gulf Coast on Aug Texas hasa “Rainy Day Fund,” with the possibility to finance some projects and one of the largest congressional delegations the Puerto Rican team considered that it should raise its standards “Rebuilding a Better Puerto Rico” preliminarily reflected the damage that the island had suffered This work was carried out with help from New York Gov Rockefeller and Open Society foundations provided funds so auditing firm Deloitte — which COR3 commissioned for $31.6 million — would also provide assistance in preparing the report According to Marrero, the first damage report did not sit well in Congress and that was the reason why the Government of Puerto Rico was required to prepare a recovery plan within 180 days, when the Congressional Bipartisan Budget Act was signed on Feb Congress included the provision for FEMA to apply section 428 to projects in Puerto Rico although President Trump had already required it in the fifth amendment to the Puerto Rico disaster declaration then in February they asked us to ‘Present a recovery plan.’ So we presented a recovery plan in 180 days,” the official said That’s when the Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan for Puerto Rico came about, with an estimated $139 billion in reconstruction projects which Rosselló handed in to Congress on Aug “That is a very serious and responsible document that was created with the input of many interest groups and   reflects what the public policy is after what has been the largest natural disaster in Puerto Rico that document was much more detailed and even identifies the courses of action that have to be taken to move the scale and the responsibility the federal government imposed to identify congressional funds,” said Marrero The federal Bipartisan Budget Act also establishes that Rosselló must publish an update report on progress in achieving the goals established in the Recovery Plan every 180 days in coordination with the FEMA administrator The first 180-day status report states that the implementation of Section 428 of the Stafford Act has meant that the funding reimbursement process for construction of permanent public assistance projects has been extremely slow The permanent work refers to FEMA categories C through G the progress of permanent work projects under Public Assistance pursuant to Section 428 of the Stafford Act has been extremely slow and has limited the recovery from fully taking off,” the report states there was not yet a single project with allocated funding one year and four months after Hurricane Katrina Louisiana already had the money for 2,424 projects with about $1.4 billion allocated “The difficulty with Section 428 is that it requires a fixed cost estimate cannot be changed or amended,” Puerto Rico told Congress in its 180-day status report “Under a typical project under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program the grant amount is estimated and if circumstances come up during the repair or replacement period changing the scope of the work or cost Because of the fixed cost estimate requirement the review of a project before the obligation of funds is very onerous and time consuming,” the report stated The report request Congress to ask the President for an amendment so Puerto Rico’s ability to use the Public Assistance Program outside of Section 428 is not limited Marrero said he has asked mayors to identify their priority projects and other small projects of less than $123,100 which can be moved forward without having to go through the process required by Section 428 which Rosselló sent to Congress with an attached letter signed on July 31 two days before his resignation became effective “Most of the permanent work projects have not yet begun nor do they have funding assigned 22 months after Hurricanes Irma and María devastated the island,” he said only 20,000 had been inspected as of August These 50,000 sites are expected to be grouped into some 9,200 projects the fixed cost estimate has been agreed only for 139 projects has obligated $5,816,890,838 in Public Assistance (PA) funds and approved $2,573,762,155 in Individual Assistance (IA,) according to the COR3 transparency portal a total of $20,310,831,109 has been obligated of which $13,825,576,097 has been disbursed The second largest source of federal recovery funding is the HUD CDBG-DR program which is expected to allocate about $19.9 billion to the island the first $1.5 billion had not been accessible as of Feb The Puerto Rico Economic Development and Recovery Plan is counting on the availability of $69.1 billion in FEMA and HUD funding It indicates that FEMA would contribute at least $41.2 billion over an 11-year period but that estimate has been updated several times since then FEMA points to grant $65 billion for the entire Hurricanes Irma and María recovery while the Government of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Plan certified by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico on May 9 estimates that $49.0 billion will arrive from FEMA through fiscal year 2032 and $19.9 billion in CDBG-DR funds from HUD “That [$65 billion] is FEMA’s estimate That [FEMA] estimate is based on assumptions there will be more conservative numbers [from the Puerto Rican government.] If we don’t obligate that money The person responsible for the Fiscal Plan is the government of Puerto Rico not FEMA,” said Marrero to explain the difference in figures The plan includes among the $139 billion needed but whose certainty and source of funds are inaccurate the Government of Puerto Rico projects that it will receive $21 billion in funds for which it must compete with states and territories affected by hurricanes Harvey 10 federal agencies have allocated $6.8 billion obligated about $2.6 billion and disbursed just over $1 billion The plan also warns that another $45.4 billion would have to come through “but the success of obtaining these funds is not guaranteed.” Sources for these uncertain funds include the Government of Puerto Rico the private sector and philanthropic contributions “There is little probability [about these funds.] That’s the truth But when we were asked to develop the plan part of (FEMA’s) requirements were to provide the total cost of Puerto Rico’s reconstruction and long-term economic development It’s not that that’s what we need to rebuild Puerto Rico It’s that they asked me — and if you look at the law — what does it take to not just for ‘disaster recovery,’ [but also] for economic recovery agriculture development… They asked me for everything That’s what we presented,” said Marrero when he was asked about the uncertainty of obtaining those funds the plan also says that in the case of not having those funds we have to prioritize what we have in front of us Marrero also pointed out that the $45.4 billion while it is not certain where they will come from had to appear in the plan to justify additional appropriations in Congress in the future although only $85.6 billion in federal recovery funds have been identified most of what is left outstanding could also be obtained through a federal grant The uncertainty about the source of an important part of the money needed to replace what was lost is transferred to the communities and families that suffered directly from the brunt of the storm Cándida still don’t have all the money she needs to have a house again Josué and Natalie are now saving to be able to move to a house they recently acquired with the help of their family who works in a department store and in a nonprofit organization because Natalie lost her job after the hurricane Guillermo and Genara remain in their home in Punta Santiago most of the rooms still don’t have furniture Maria: The Money Trail is a project of the Center for Investigative Journalism focused on putting the spotlight on the recovery process in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and María in 2017 This initiative is possible with the support of the Puerto Rico Foundations Network Si tiene una solicitud de investigación, queja, aclaración, ‘orejita’, prueba, inquietud, u observación sobre alguna información publicada por el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, escriba al correo electrónico [email protected] This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Alexandra Rosati's research at Cayo Santiago has received funding from the National Institutes of Health University of Michigan provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US View all partners “00O made it!” There was some news to celebrate on Sept. 28 in the email chain of scientists who work at the Cayo Santiago Field Station Cayo Santiago is a 38-acre tropical island off the coast of Puerto Rico and home to approximately 1,500 rhesus monkeys earning it the local nickname “Monkey Island.” Each monkey on the island is assigned a unique three-character ID Monkey Zero-Zero-Oh is a female we sometimes called “Ooooo.” She is now an old lady in monkey years and we had just gotten word that she survived Hurricane Maria The Cayo Santiago Field Station is the longest-running primate field site in the world generations of monkeys have lived out their life with humans watching Only monkeys live on the island; people take a 15-minute boat trip every day from Punta Santiago on Puerto Rico’s east coast their hormones and their skeletons after they die The huge amount of data on each individual monkey’s life death and contributions to the next generation allow scientists to ask questions in biology anthropology and psychology that can’t be answered anywhere else This microcosm of monkey society opens the door onto these highly intelligent and social primates’ lives – thereby allowing us to better understand our own After Hurricane Maria made landfall 30 minutes south of Cayo Santiago, scientists in the United States scrambled to make contact with students Several days later we finally managed to reach Angelina Ruiz Lambides Scientists arranged a helicopter so that she could survey Punta Santiago and Cayo Santiago The photos and videos she sent back were devastating Punta Santiago, where many of the staff live, was destroyed. A photo taken from the helicopter showed a large chalk message: “S.O.S Necesitamos Agua/Comida” – We need water and food formerly two lush islands connected by an isthmus the mangroves were flooded and the isthmus was submerged Research labs and other infrastructure were in pieces many of the Cayo monkeys had weathered the storm Over the next few days other staff traveled to Cayo in small boats and started searching for each individual monkey A group of international scientists based at Cayo knew that we had to act In addition to my group at the University of Michigan researchers from the University of Buffalo New York University and Yale University started organizing relief efforts One immediate concern was water: The monkeys depend on a system of rainwater cisterns to collect fresh water we learned that people in Punta Santiago also desperately needed clean water so other critical supplies included solar-powered lights since credit card machines and ATMs were down Our group set up two GoFundMe sites for relief – one for the staff and local community; the other for the monkeys So far the funds have raised over US$45,000 and almost $10,000 Now we are organizing shipments of equipment that is critical for both humans’ and animals’ welfare water purification systems and satellite phones We also are working to evacuate staffers whose homes were destroyed The station has a supply of food for the monkeys but we must ensure that it does not run out especially now that all of the natural vegetation they could eat is gone we are organizing to rebuild the research infrastructure that was destroyed The support that we have received reflects how much Cayo has touched the larger scientific community Hundreds of researchers have worked at Cayo I first visited there as an undergraduate student more than 15 years ago Many students got their first taste of real science on Cayo and they have come out in full force to donate and promote the relief campaigns Some observers might question our focus on saving animals when people across Puerto Rico are suffering The Cayo Santiago Field Station is the livelihood of many dedicated staffers who live in Punta Santiago We cannot aid the monkeys without helping to rebuild the town The staff and researchers who work at Cayo Santiago are stewards of these animals Many of the Puerto Rican staffers on site have spent years caring for monkeys like 00O Now they are spending their mornings rebuilding Cayo Santiago and then working on their own homes in the afternoon Halting the immediate humanitarian crisis unfolding in Puerto Rico should be everyone’s primary goal But long-term recovery from Hurricane Maria will also mean preserving Puerto Rico’s arts culture and scientific treasures like the Cayo Santiago Field Station for future generations NPR's Morning Edition takes listeners around the country and the world with two hours of multi-faceted stories and commentaries that inform Morning Edition is the most listened-to news radio program in the country An island colony of wild rhesus macaque monkeys — the oldest primate research site in the world — suffered major storm damage Hurricane Maria hit the Puerto Rican island of Cayo Santiago home to the world’s longest-running primate-research site WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. An analysis by Drexel researchers found the highest-risk cities had higher rates of poverty a higher percent of Black residents and more old homes Bears in Pennsylvania are struggling with mange they can't seem to kick Scientists are studying what's unique about the disease in the state Tourists once flocked to El Yunque National Forest After landslides of hurricane damage in 2017 Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyone’s stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Puerto Rico pummeled the island Wednesday as officials warned it would decimate the power company's crumbling infrastructure and force the government to rebuild dozens of communities. Maria made landfall early Wednesday in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa as a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 kph) winds, and it was expected to punish the island with life-threatening winds for 12 to 24 hours, forecasters said. Maria had previously been a Category 5 storm with 175 mph (281 kph) winds. "This is going to be an extremely violent phenomenon," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "We have not experienced an event of this magnitude in our modern history." Maria ties for the eighth strongest storm in Atlantic history, when measured by wind speed. Coming in second is this year's Irma, which had 185 mph (300 kph) winds and killed 38 people in the Caribbean and another 36 in the U.S. earlier this month. Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by hurricanes that tend to veer north or south of the island. The last Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico occurred in 1932, and the strongest storm to ever hit the island was San Felipe in 1928 with winds of 160 mph. As Maria approached, U.S. President Donald Trump offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!" More than 4,400 people were in shelters by late Tuesday, along with 105 pets, Rossello said. The storm's center passed near or over St. Croix overnight Tuesday, prompting U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp to insist that people remain alert. St. Croix was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago. But this time, the island would experience five hours of hurricane force winds, Mapp said. "For folks in their homes, I really recommend that you not be in any kind of sleepwear," he said during a brief news conference. "Make sure you have your shoes on. Make sure you have a jacket around. Something for your head in case your roof should breach. ... I don't really recommend you be sleeping from 11 o'clock to 4 (a.m.). ... Be aware of what's going on around you." Maria killed one person in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe when a tree fell on them Tuesday, and two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials said. About 40 percent of the island — 80,000 homes — were without power and flooding was reported in several communities. The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page, including that his own roof had blown away. "The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote before communications went down. The storm knocked out communications for the entire island, leaving anyone outside Dominica struggling to determine the extent of damage, though it was clearly widespread. "The situation is really grave," Consul General Barbara Dailey said in a telephone interview from New York. She said she lost contact with the island about 4 a.m. At that point, officials had learned that 70 percent of homes had lost their roofs, including her own. Flooding was a big concern, given the island's steep mountains, cut through with rivers that rage even after a heavy rain. Dominica was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika, which killed 30 people and destroyed more than 370 homes in August 2015. Forecasters said the storm surge from Maria could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas. To the north, Hurricane Jose weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday night. Forecasters said dangerous surf and rip currents were likely to continue along the U.S. East Coast but said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by Jose swept five people off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island and they were hospitalized after being rescued. A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut. Associated Press writers Ben Fox in Miami and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report. its caretakers are rushing to save it—and themselves 2017 ShareSave Off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico are home to some unexpected residents—a troop of around 1,000 rhesus macaque monkeys Rhesus macaques typically live half a world away in Southeast Asia But after 406 of them were shipped over in 1938 The island has become something of a destination for primatologists and the monkeys so plentiful and habituated that even though they are fully wild creatures The last time I spoke to someone on the island—James Higham from New York University—he was standing a few meters away from a female and a male “Many of our early discoveries about primate communication and behavior were discovered there,” says Laurie Santos from Yale University “It’s an iconic place in primate behavior and science more generally.” And they get regular supplies of monkey chow from the staff of the Caribbean Primate Research Center to supplement what they can naturally forage But the monkeys were also among the first to feel the wrath of Hurricane Maria When the hurricane hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, it pounded the island with winds of up to 175 kilometers per hour It was the worst hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years Satellite images confirmed the worst Areas of lush green vegetation now look like an ugly brown bruise “The island is completely devastated,” says Higham “There’s a lot of damage to the vegetation and all the infrastructure is gone.” Buildings in which researchers worked are no more The island’s isthmus—the horizontal stroke of that lowercase r—seems to be submerged where monkeys would pick up their supplementary chow #CayoSantiago update: very heavy damage but all macaque social groups are accounted for. Awaiting a full census. Imgs Angelina Ruiz-Lambides pic.twitter.com/xgWL7ILXDc Higham chartered a helicopter to send Angelina Ruiz-Lambides associate director of the Cayo Santiago Field Station to the island so she could assess the damage All six of the monkey groups on the island have weathered the storm “We have to do a proper census to really know,” says Santos “They now seem more skittish than they were before The psychologist in me wants to know: What were they thinking when it was happening?” “You look at the island and think: Oh my goodness how could anything have survived this?” says Higham They find places of shelter and they know the terrain and habitat really well.” One of the pressing priorities is making sure that these survivors have enough to eat and researchers used to regularly provide the monkeys with chow to supplement whatever they foraged themselves this supplementary food is now all the more important researchers are loading the food directly onto boats in the mainland Punta Santiago the dock at Cayo Santiago is one of few man-made structures that withstood Maria The monkey island was the brainchild of several scientists—notably Clarence Ray Carpenter considered by many to be the grandfather of American primatology Carpenter traveled around the world studying howler monkeys in Panama and gibbons and rhesus macaques in Southeast Asia and he was among the first to film these animals in the wild Carpenter and his colleagues had a vision of establishing a free-ranging colony of these animals closer to home Carpenter took some 500 rhesus macaques on a 51-day voyage from Calcutta to Puerto Rico “covered the deck of a large freighter.” Most survived and some were sold to a research institute to cover the exorbitant costs of the expedition Some 406 were eventually released on Cayo Santiago which typically swing through the canopies of Asian rainforests They also had a habit of attacking human observers A few plucky individuals swam across to Puerto Rico proper Those who stayed quickly ate all the papayas and coconut palms forcing researchers to provision them with food No one had built facilities for collecting rain so workers had to ferry over drums of fresh water “The suspense created by doubting Thomases .. was relieved after six or eight months by the birth of the first baby,” Carpenter later wrote “You cannot imagine how welcome that baby was.” and researchers have since meticulously documented their lives They trap the macaques once a year to take blood samples and check on their health Researchers have measured their hormone levels and thousands of such skeletons now exist in storage and you have a population with such a huge amount of information from birth to death and beyond,” says Higham accessible primate populations but nowhere else with this breadth and depth of data.” The monkeys have experienced hurricanes before including Hugo in 1989 and Georges in 1998 But these earlier storms pale in comparison to those of this exceptional season Punta Santiago, where the staff of the Caribbean Primate Research Center live, has been destroyed. One aerial snapshot revealed a plea for help—S.O.S necesitamos agua/comida (we need food and water)—painted on the street This heartbreaking message is from our flyover of #PuntaSantiago. #Humacao #PuertoRico needs a bigger response, & it needs it now. pic.twitter.com/8d7UH4vw7Q And yet, a day after Maria hit, employees were already sailing to the island with monkey feed, wrote Ruiz-Lambides in a Facebook post. “Their commitment to our monkeys and courage is admirable.” As far as the monkeys go, the immediate priority is rebuilding Cayo Santiago’s infrastructure. All the structures for collecting and purifying rainwater were destroyed, and the macaques are facing an incoming heat wave, on an island that’s been largely denuded of shade. “It’s been a brutal week,” says Higham. “But it was a beautiful place and I’m sure it will be again. Most of the staff who work on the island and their families are all safe, and that's the most important thing. We can rebuild buildings and infrastructure as long as the population is okay, and thankfully we think it is.”  My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts Jose Santiago stands in front of the remains of his destroyed home on Dec He currently lives in a home next door without electricity Doris Martinez receives supplies and water from municipal staff outside City Hall in Morovis on Dec Over 30,000 residents of the mountain town wait for the restoration of electric power service one of the last municipalities of Puerto Rico that remains completely in the dark more than three months after the passage of Hurricane Maria stays bedridden in her residence at the San Lorenzo sector in Morovis on Dec Nearly 1,000 homes across Morovis lost their roofs and 90 percent of residents have not received federal assistance adding they expect it will be several more months before power returns Photos: Relief Team in Puerto Rico Brings Aid and Comfort to Elderly holds a lantern in the living room of her house in Morovis on Dec All the electronics are connected to an inverter plugged to the family car battery A resident sits outside her home as a trash fire burns in San Isidro on Dec People stand in line for free food and health supplies passed out by the nonprofit Lets.Give in Utuado on Dec Wilmarie Gonzalez Rivera listens to her daughter Yeinelis Oliveras Gonzalez as she feeds her breakfast in Morovis on Dec "You always have to have a smile on your face because if not the kids get sad," Rivera said as tears welled in her eyes Toppled trees lie on damaged graves in the Villa Palmeras cemetery in San Juan on Dec The island’s governor ordered a review of all deaths in the hurricane after several media organizations questioned whether the official death toll of 64 was too low Related: Puerto Rico governor orders review of death count after Hurricane Maria founder of Canita Sanctuary that protects abandoned animals from being euthanized holds one of her rescue dogs in Guayama on Dec cats and even the occasional pet pig and fighting cock have been left at shelters hangs recently washed clothes outside her home in the Punta Santiago beachfront neighborhood in Humacao on Dec gets up early to tend to a Nativity scene on the balcony of his house in Morovis on Dec a man who committed suicide three weeks after the passage of Hurricane Maria solar powered Christmas lights and a flag of Puerto Rico Government officials say they are counting some suicides as part of the official death toll because people across Puerto Rico have become so desperate in post-hurricane conditions in a shelter for victims of Hurricane Maria in Toa Baja on Dec Montijo said that he's been living in shelters ever since his home was destroyed in the hurricane A man stands surrounded by the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in Morovis on Dec A worker cleans and paints a damaged home in Toa Baja on Dec Jesus Perez and his wife Maria Santiago sit by a Christmas tree they constructed from Coca-Cola cans in Morovis on Dec A school bus crosses a makeshift bridge built after the original one was washed away in Morovis on Dec People walk on a damaged pier in the Punta Santiago beachfront neighborhood in Humacao on Dec Workers repair a toppled gravestone in the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in San Juan on Dec A car drives under tilted power line poles in the Punta Santiago beachfront neighborhood in Humacao on Dec A boy sleeps in a shelter for Hurricane Maria victims in Toa Baja on Dec Twelve adults and 11 children currently reside there Barrio Patron resident Karina Santiago Gonzalez works on a small power plant in Morovis on Dec Worshippers pray during midnight Mass at the Nuestra Senora Del Carmen Church on Dec The Mass finished well before midnight this year to accommodate those who live in areas without electricity A mountain of rubble remains in front of the Oliveras Gonzalez family home in Morovis on Dec Photos: Dark Days and Long Nights Descend on Puerto Rico Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Hurricane Maria devastated “Monkey Island” which has been used for the study of primates since the 1930s I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Time is running out for more than 1,000 monkeys on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico devastated by Hurricane Maria "Monkey Island" was the first place in the US territories to be hit by the storm has been a crucial resource for researchers studying primate behaviour The rhesus macaques were brought to the island by scientists and for almost 90 years the population has thrived offering scientists a window into the animals' lives As reported by the Huffington Post the monkeys largely survived the initial impact of the hurricane a large amount of the island’s lush vegetation has been destroyed Rhesus macaques survive on a diet of fruit roots and insects but this food has now been lost due to the destruction of their habitat An aerial view of the island from before shows it as a green and luscious island however it is now brown and bare after high winds ripped leaves from trees and tidal surges cleared many plants and foliage The monkeys have even been filmed swimming between the islands surrounding Puerto Rico in search for food It also lost the fresh water supply for inhabitants and destroyed research buildings Researchers from Yale University and the University of Michigan are two of several institutions now working to care for the monkeys Workers are now transporting shipments of food and water to the island and working to rebuild the rainwater cisterns that the storm wrecked Many of the staff who work on Monkey Island are residents of nearby Punta Santiago which was also largely destroyed by the hurricane Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies JetBlue announced a new nonstop service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) with flights from Orlando to Punta Cana and Santiago JetBlue will become the only airline to serve Santiago with nonstop service from Orlando the new flights connecting Orlando to the Dominican Republic will offer Florida customers more options for leisure travel and further the airline’s significant presence in Latin America and the Caribbean “Punta Cana and Santiago are top destinations in the Caribbean but there are limited options for customers to get there from Orlando today,” said David Jehn JetBlue’s vice president of network planning and partnerships Tourism March 19 along with those enabled by our combination with Spirit will position us to provide even more growth and connectivity to popular destinations for customers in Central Florida Following its planned combination with Spirit Airlines the airline expects to reach 200 daily flights in Orlando by 2027 JetBlue would offer flights to approximately 20 markets not currently served by either airline from Orlando and would increase flight frequencies on about 25 additional routes The airline estimates that its plan would add approximately 350 new airport jobs to its Orlando operations while supporting increased economic activity throughout the region which is anticipated to lead to further job growth has successfully launched its inaugural flight on the Punta Cana to Santiago route marking the commencement of commercial operations between two significant tourist destinations within the country The inaugural flight received a warm welcome at the General Aviation Terminal (FBO) of the Cibao International Airport and other dignitaries were present to celebrate this milestone in Dominican air connectivity which is a noteworthy development for Dominican travel options took off from the FBO terminal of the Punta Cana International Airport at 1:00 PM and landed in Santiago just 50 minutes later This inaugural route offers both local and international travelers the opportunity to conveniently and comfortably connect from Punta […] Bavaro & Punta Cana October 2 This inaugural route offers both local and international travelers the opportunity to conveniently and comfortably connect from Punta Cana to the heart of the Cibao region The flight schedule includes departures from Punta Cana on Fridays at 2:00 PM and from Santiago at 3:30 PM flights will leave Punta Cana at 3:00 PM and Santiago at 4:30 PM emphasized that this air connection aligns with the government’s tourism promotion plans by combining Punta Cana’s tourism leadership with the rich cultural Travelers can now choose to spend a weekend in either Santiago or Punta Cana Reef Jet has established partnerships with City Tour Santiago to offer organized excursions They also promote visits to nearby provinces such as Espaillat González further explained that this initiative by Reef Jet reflects their expansion vision confidence in the economic development of the area and the desire to provide customers with an experience that optimizes their travel time highlighted the high expectations associated with the new route It is anticipated to be a fantastic connection between these iconic destinations offering travelers an experience that efficiently utilizes their travel time Reef Jet solidifies its position as the premier airline for tourist excursions in the Dominican Republic reaffirming its commitment to tourism development and the diversification of the country’s offerings Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardFirst hurricane relief and recovery - and then rebuilding a stronger Puerto Rico | PerspectiveCut off from rescue and help the 5,000 residents of Punta Santiago knew what they had to do and shared what they had collected with their neighbors in greatest need I could see it from the sky above Puerto Rico The island was no longer a rolling blanket of lowland and highland forests had ripped nearly every leaf from every kapok underneath the brown tangles of trunks and branches photographing hurricane relief carried out by people Houses that did stand up to 155 mile-per-hour winds were soaked in up to five feet of brackish water But the hurricane didn't end just because the rain and wind had moved on Floodwaters had contaminated most of the food and stored water For 10 days they cooked communal meals with help from a nonprofit named Programa de Educación Comunal de Entrega y Servicio (PECES) which for two decades has provided programs in three core areas: education prevention services for at-risk populations and entrepreneurship and development training The nonprofit reopened its campus as soon as it cleared debris from its front gate offering shelter and whatever supplies had been spared by the storm A nonprofit named the Center for a New Economy dispatched helicopters to drop food and supplies A think tank with deep connections to stateside nonprofits and Puerto Ricans everywhere CNE had quickly established the Puerto Rico Recovery Fund CNE raised more than a million dollars in the week after the storm They not only provided food and relief items but also developed a multitiered distribution network of community-focused organizations When the communities were unreachable by truck CNE found helicopters to fly relief to them and nongovernmental organizations quickly activated volunteers and staff to save lives in the days after the storm but many Puerto Ricans now realize how vulnerable they are As Juan Jose Gonzalez Colón in Salinas considered the previous two months of living with his family in one small leaky room without electricity and water he said: "We never knew how poor we were until Maria." I heard people say they don't simply want to recover but intend to rethink issues of energy independence and many other nonprofits will continue to provide relief while also pursuing a new mission — rebuilding Puerto Rico as a stronger and more prosperous place Lori Waselchuk is a visual artist in Philadelphia who coordinates special projects, community programs, and exhibitions at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. She traveled to Puerto Rico on a commission from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. loriwaselchuk@gmail.com Reef Jet Airlines seeks to contribute to the multi-destination offer as part of the State’s policy to promote a country with a wide offer and Samaná is the business bet developed by the airline Reef Jet to contribute to the multi-destination offer in the country through domestic flights they saw the need to create a route that connects Punta Cana with Santiago since there is a class that represents the second largest issuer of local tourism in the Dominican Republic Reef Jet will inaugurate the first flight from the Punta Cana International Airport to the Cibao International Airport Economy September 23 He emphasized that Reef Jet seeks to provide an experience more than a flight since its services are offered through tour operator agencies which provide passengers the options of excursions ranging from visits to thermal spas Barrot highlighted the airline’s interest in contributing to the multi-destination offer that is part of the State’s policy of promoting a country with a vast cultural He indicated that Reef Jet has excursion flights to Pedernales and Samaná where it transports a significant number of foreign tourists The director of operations further explained that the aircraft that will perform the service are two Cessnas with a capacity of nine passengers The company is certified by the IDAC and has trained personnel Meli Hotels by Meli Hotels International (MHI) the Spanish hotel company with more than 380 hotels around the world is pleased to announce the appointment of Santiago Rivera as General Manager of the newly split hotels: Meli Punta Cana Beach A seasoned and respected leader in the luxury hospitality arena the designation comes at a momentous time for the resorts the two newly debuted resorts will open with Mr Rivera at the helm offering a myriad of programming all designed to accommodate the distinct needs of todays traveler With over 15 years of experience at MHI and the luxury hospitality industry Rivera brings a wealth of experience to his new role at Meli Punta Cana Beach Resort and Meli Caribe Beach Resort Rivera comes to the properties from Paradisus Cancun increased sales and profitability while ensuring an unforgettable guest experience With two post-graduate degrees in hospitality management and strategic leadership from Cornell University Rivera has achieved major accomplishments at previous locations in his portfolio including Paradisus Los Cabos Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Perla y La Esmeralda Jetblue announced a new non-layover service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) Tickets are already on sale and prices start from US$ 123 Jetblue will become the only airline to serve Santiago with a service with no layover from Orlando The new flights that connect Orlando with the Dominican Republic will offer Florida customers more options for pleasure trips and encourage the important presence of the airline in Latin America and the Caribbean “Punta Cana and Santiago are the main destinations of the Caribbean but there are limited options for customers to get there from Orlando,” said David Jehn Vice President of Network Planning and Jetblue associations Tourism March 17 which will also enable our combination with Spirit will position us to provide even more growth and connectivity to popular destinations for customers in Central Florida.” After its planned combination with Spirit Airlines the airline hopes to reach 200 daily flights from Orlando by 2027 Jetblue would offer flights to approximately 20 markets that currently do not attend to either of the two airlines from Orlando and increase the flight frequencies on about 25 additional routes The airline estimates that its plan would add approximately 350 new jobs in the airports in Orlando while supporting greater economic activity throughout the region that is anticipated to lead to a greater growth of employment Montevideo, May 6th 2025 - 05:01 UTC Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile will host the International Antarctic Center a long-time project several times delayed but which finally was given the green light and should begin to be built in the near future with an investment demanding some 75 million US dollars The project which has been included in the Special Development Plan for Extreme Zones of Chile received the Satisfactory Recommendation this week following on years of objections to the initial outlay of the project and the funds later needed to keep the CAI functioning and justify its viability the current elected Magallanes Region governor Jorge Flies ratified his interest in the project and consulted with Santiago on the opportunity and possibilities of moving ahead with the investment Apparently the talks were positive and the project received the necessary central government support However the regional government will have to find the funds or partners for the CAI which has an estimated cost of some US$ 75 million but is seen as crucial for the ongoing development of Punta Arenas as the gate of access to Antarctica Chile has a long standing relation with Antarctica and following on a bill passed in September 1963 INACH was declared an entity of Public Service and its headquarters were moved from Santiago to Punta Arenas in what was considered a geopolitical strategic move thus the significance of having the International Antarctic Center Punta Arenas is the last continental call port for many vessels from the different countries involved in Antarctica scientific research The Falkland Islands Government continues to closely monitor the situation regarding the suspension of commercial air links with Chile and Brazil While these flights are vital to the social and economic development of the Islands the government remains committed to ensuring that the health and safety of the community is maintained as the circumstances across mainland South America continue to evolve the Punta Arenas-Santiago route will remain suspended until at least 2 January 2021; the situation will be reviewed towards the end of that period LATAM has also now confirmed with FIG the São Paulo route will remain suspended until at least 31 March 2021 Director of Development and Commercial Services said: “Ever since the decision was first taken to suspend these flights but to start to develop longer term plans for the reinstatement of these routes the pandemic continues to impact significantly on all aspects of international travel and it’s vital that we strike the right balance between keeping our people safe and planning to resume these flights at the right time This also means supporting local businesses who have been impacted by the suspension of the flights so that they are in a good position to resume their activities once these routes restart FIG and LATAM are equally committed to the long term viability of these routes” said it lost US$ 573 million in the third quarter as the company continues a bankruptcy restructuring process that started in May because of the coronavirus pandemic Revenue fell 81% in the quarter compared to a year ago The results “are not a surprise given the context,” said LATAM's Chief Financial Officer Ramiro Alfonsin in a call with reporters LATAM's domestic flights are recovering at faster pace than international routes after months of economic restrictions imposed to curb the virus So far this year LATAM has reported a net loss of US$ 3.6 billion The airline also burned through more than US$ 200 million in cash between July and September although in October it said it got access to fresh liquidity as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page! The flight from Santiago began its slow but steady descent towards Punta Arenas wheeling left across the Strait of Magellan the passenger windows on the right side of the plane tilting upwards to give me a glimpse of the snow-capped Andes and at last; so close I could almost touch them – the same feeling I had 2½ years previously when mask-wearing soldiers stopped me just outside Puerto Natales to say in November 2022 and with the curse lifted for almost everyone everywhere Excitement because this was the resumption (resuscitation?) of “the great retirement project” – riding a motorbike from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska alone and without the pressure of any deadline to get to place X by such and such a time or date half thinking (I also suspect) that there’s no fool like an old fool no “lads together having a blast expedition” this to be a journey of encounter and exploration a journey partly along the famed Pan American Highway but one with the freedom to go this way or that Maybe its appreciating better than last time the anxiety I am causing to others – my wife I am now in my 70th year and do not have the strength or fitness that I had even in 2020 I have a touch of arthritis in the joints where my thumbs join my wrist My doctor has me on statins (a very low dose but heart pills nonetheless) and also something for blood pressure So what makes me think I will be able to upright a toppled over BMW R1200 GS Adventure [ Peter Murtagh in the Americas: 'I’ve left behind something that’s going to get an awful lot worse'Opens in new window ] The waters of the strait looked unusually calm from a few thousand feet up but the bent-over trees around the airport remind me that this is a place of extreme winds, the great south wind that blows, and blows and blows, seemingly without end. It’s late spring/early summer in the southern hemisphere but the ground below is very visibly burnt and bone dry, showing little evidence of winter growth for grazing. I go for a stroll to a nearby supermarket to acquire vital supplies, such as wine I jump into an airport taxi and on arrival, the hostel door bursts open and Eliana throws out her arms to give me a great big hug, laughing a laugh that says, “Well, isn’t this just gas?” “Peeeeeeter! Ha, ha, ha cómo estás, amigo?” How am I? Grand, I tell her, just grand. Great to be back! On the way to my bedroom, at the turn in the creaking stairway, there’s a 3ft tall, pound store Santa Claus, smiling and wishing me a Feliz Navidad... and I get the eerie feeling that he was there too when I stayed here first, on March 16th, 2020. After I unpack my rucksack and catch my breath, I go back downstairs. Eliana has news for me. Beaming, she tells me that she has a new man. Two and a half years ago, she was still in mourning for her then recently deceased husband – “my best friend” she would say, telling me, eyes welling up, that she thought of him every day but would try to lose herself in her hobbies, which were painting, photography and bird watching. “Alex!” she announces to me, simultaneously summoning the new man for presentation. He’s a little stocky (Eliana herself is small in stature) but broad-shouldered and muscular. He has a big smile and shakes my hand warmly. He tells me that Eliana has spoken to him a lot about me. I ask if they are married, pointing to my own ring to circumvent my appalling Spanish, or lack of. But no, they are just together, they say. Living in sin, I pronounce and they both laugh uproariously. “Es un hombre muy excelente,” Eliana says proudly, adding that he was her “compañera de viaje”, her travelling companion and this was how they got to know each other. I go for a stroll to a nearby supermarket to acquire vital supplies, such as wine. On the way, it is strange to see spring flowers in suburban gardens – dandelions, millions of them everywhere, but also peonies, laburnum and yellow broom, sometimes fashioned into bright hedging. Returning with the wine, Eliana invites me to join her and Alex’s late afternoon Sunday lunch of empanadas and pickles. The wine goes down well and I go to bed wondering what tomorrow will bring. When in late March 2020 the Chilean government announced a curfew in the coming days, suggesting it could last months, it was clear that my plans were scuppered. I had just interviewed a local Chilean/Irishman, Patricio Corcoran, who ran a food distribution company and three mid-sized supermarkets. I suspected he had warehouses, or at least access to a warehouse, and might be able to store my bike... for a couple of months, as I then naively thought. Patricio is quietly proud of his Irish heritage. In his office, he keeps the two old British passports belonging to his grandfather and father, both of which show Irish birth places. My plea for Patricio’s help in March 2020 was answered with an immediate and generous yes, and so I left my wonderful, almost new bike, on March 31st, in a Corcoran Express warehouse, under a cover and with various bits and pieces stuffed into two bags and hoisted on a pallet up on to the top shelf of the huge building. I press the starter button, it snaps into life with that deep-throated, satisfying GS purr. The past 2½ years of enforced inactivity are blown away in an instant, and with it all my worries So now, 2½ years later, I really didn’t know what to expect – the bike’s battery would surely be dead but could it be revived? And the tyres, had they deflated and would the rubber have cracked and perished? The petrol and oil would have to be drained; I’d have to get the whole bike serviced, surely? I emailed him. “Patricio!” I wrote, “Am finally in Punta Arenas. Would it suit if I called around at 11am tomorrow morning.” “Peter,” came the reply, “your bike is ready. We have to pick it in a garage I sent them. 11.00am would be great...” Down one of the roads near my hostel, Alejandro Lago runs a pristine workshop where he services machines used by a company specialising in motorbike tours of Patagonia. Patricio drove me there and it’s obvious from the workshop – from the equipment, the bikes being worked on, the big Dakar sign over his workbench and all the stickers left by visiting long-haul, adventure bikers – that Alejandro knows his stuff and is a mechanic well trusted by bikers. Mine is there – gleaming clean, fully serviced and, when I press the starter button, it snaps into life with that deep-throated, satisfying GS purr. The past 2½ years of enforced inactivity are blown away in an instant, and with it all my worries. A spin north, out across the Patagonia Steppe by the airport, and on towards the Argentine frontier, proves that everything is running perfectly. Everything I left behind in Patricio’s care is retrieved – all the biking gear, the camping gear (not yet used), and all the related equipment; every single item. That night, Patricio invites me out to dinner where, over locally caught king crab, octopus, abalone, grilled fish, pisco and wine, we talk Chile, Ireland, England, politics and family. Self-evidently, Patricio is well-known, and well-liked, by the restaurant owner and staff. As we exit, he pauses at one or two other tables to chat briefly with friends who are also dining. I walk on slowly so as not to intrude. The waiter sidles over to me and smiles, gesturing towards Patricio. I cannot but agree. In a day or three, it’ll be time to head... south. More to follow. You can follow Peter Murtagh on Instagram (Tip2Topadventure), Facebook (Peter Murtagh) and Twitter (@PeterMurtagh) Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC Santo Domingo.- The low-cost airline Frontier Airlines added new flights to Miami New Jersey and Puerto Rico from Santo Domingo government and local leaders to celebrate its most recent service expansion in the Dominican Republic “With the incorporation of the new routes announced Frontier Airlines now offers nine routes to three cities in the Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo Punta Cana and Santiago.” “We are very excited to visit Santo Domingo this week and meet with local stakeholders to share our growth plans and highlight Frontier Airlines’ commitment to the country,” said Daniel Shurz senior vice president of the carrier’s commercial department Economy January 15 “We are very excited to visit Santo Domingo this week and meet with local stakeholders to share our growth plans and highlight Frontier Airlines’ commitment to the country,” said Daniel Shurz Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night Aims to provide a more efficient response in the case of an emergency The Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (PREMB) and the P.R Department of Public Safety (DPS) revealed the Joint Operational Catastrophic Incident Plan of Puerto Rico (JOCIP) as Hurricane Dorian increased its maximum sustained winds to 75 mph The JOCIP is a combined effort between federal local and private sector committees in a bid to address best practices and emergency management particularly after Hurricane Maria impacted every societal segment in September 2017 Although the Plan was released on June 2019 JOCIP was developed in accordance to the guidelines defined by the U.S the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and following the guidelines set out in the 2010 'Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG 101) version 2.' "The primary purpose of this plan is to establish the necessary operational procedures and preventive measures to protect the life and property and after a catastrophic event in complete synchronization with the Federal and State Agencies the private sector and the non-governmental organizations," the document states Wanda Vázquez established that the Plan will be the Emergency Authority that will rule the local government's operations thus enforcing all regulations and procedures needed to carry out operations "to ensure the well-being safety and health of the entire population of Puerto Rico in the event of a catastrophic event." that he is the best thing that's ever happened to Puerto Rico The document also outlines the responsibilities pursuant to each sector government is responsible of providing funds and assistance necessary to the state government under federal laws and directives the government of Puerto Rico is responsible of issuing the request for an emergency or disaster declaration to the U.S "Each government's top official will be responsible for carrying out the activities that are described in this plan and take the executive decisions necessary to fulfill the plan objectives," the document indicates in the event of a catastrophe the governor must make "every effort" to keep the population well informed about the emergency and potential risks by all means of communication the private sector will be represented by the Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) which "will provide critical infrastructure data related to the sectors they represent and will be responsible for activating their Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)." the BEOC will represent the sectors of agriculture JOCIP divides an emergency plan into pre-incident The pre-incident phase involves the operational structure for catastrophic events situational awareness and public notification and pre-incident evacuation and sheltering the immediate aftermath—amasses safety provisions for responders and public health services the restoration of critical infrastructure (such as electricity grids) The Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5990 can provide immediate counseling to anyone who is seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects prior to and after such severe storm activity the recovery stage encompasses the reestablishment of public services With each defined segment within these stages JOCIP intends to allow a more efficient emergency response system to avoid another social Although Dorian was upgraded to a category-1 storm the governor urged residents to remain calm noting that it is not expected to have the same impact as Maria which made landfall as a category-4 hurricane Dorian was originally forecast to enter through the south and western regions of the island but is now projected to enter through the municipal island of Culebras and impact the northeastern zone Wednesday evening Vázquez signed an executive order to ban sales of alcoholic beverages for a 24-hour period or as recommended by public safety officials public schools and offices will remain closed throughout Thursday Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The Civil Aviation Board (JAC) approved the request for a special permit from the Spanish airline World2fly to operate the Madrid / Santiago de los Caballeros / Madrid route The airline’s operating permit through the Cibao International Airport was approved during the fourth ordinary session of the JAC held yesterday World2Fly is a passenger airline from Spain that was established in 2021 and based in Palma de Mallorca The airline focuses on flights to long-distance destinations in the Caribbean and is owned by the Iberostar Hotel Group a company whose previous holdings included another airline World2Fly operates from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid Tourism February 22 a request from the Arajet airline was also known to include the Santo Domingo/Newark/Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo/Stewart/Santo Domingo routes The JAC also heard the request from the foreign air operator Air Caraibes Officials in the Dominican Republic have announced the creation of a high speed rail line that will connect Punta Cana with the historic capital city of Santo Domingo Construction for the privately funded project is slated to start at year’s end and cost $3 billion which is tasked with the project’s construction told the Dominican weekly newspaper El Tiempo that it will take 58 minutes to travel between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo and the fare will cost less than a bus ticket the first connecting the capital city of Santo Domingo to Santiago de los Caballeros which comprises six stations across a 93-mile route is the one that will connect the capital and Punta Cana whose investors guarantee that the funds for its development are available Ares specified that this colossal work will begin in Santo Domingo and will culminate in Punta Cana.  He explained that the project will begin with the first phase which includes a line from Santo Domingo to Santiago but that he is sure that line 2 in the Eastern region will be completed before the  Northern region ling Ares said that three years would be the maximum time to complete this transportation system that would connect the capital with the eastern part of the country. This is so while that of Cibao has mountains and rivers which will make the development of a line to Santiago slower work Phase 2 of the project will have 6 modern stations recreational areas and supermarkets. Likewise museum parking lots and restaurants. The route will be 151 kilometers The first station will be in Santo Domingo Ares assured that the travel route from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana would be done in 58 minutes and that the price will be cheaper than the current bus fare The project will include connection with ports and free zones and nd also collective transportation in metropolitan areas with motorcycle tracks to feed the train which will provide part of the passenger service The CEO of the company promoting this mega project indicated that this work would increase the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 3 points and that it would “enormously” benefit the inhabitants of the Eastern region because it would directly and indirectly impact around 300 thousand people.  The announcement of this important work was made in the Alianza Juvenil Assembly Hall political businessmen and members of civil society owner and CEO of Cincinnati-based Blue Ash Travel recognizes the potential of the train route to Punta Cana “There might also be some interest from guests at Punta Cana all-inclusive resorts who are looking to head to Santo Domingo to experience the history and culture of the capital city of the Dominican Republic,” Welch said “The hope would be that the train system would feel extremely safe I think there could be some interest from the tourists in this new train system.”