Cover Page Legal HistorySports Search$122,000 stolen from co-op in Toa BajaThe San Juan Daily StarApr 211 min readAccording to the police report unknown individuals broke down the main doors of Credicentro Cooperative in Toa Baja broke into the security vault and ATM safe and made off with $122,000 in cash.By The Star Staff unknown individuals broke down the main doors of the aforementioned business vandalized the security vault and the ATM safe The damage had not been estimated as of press time Personnel from the Bank Robbery Division of the San Juan Criminal Investigation Unit were investigating © 2025 The San Juan Daily Star - Puerto Rico Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto began to pound Bermuda late Friday with heavy winds and rain after officials in the tiny British territory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean opened shelters and closed government offices The Category 2 storm located 95 miles south-southwest of Bermuda was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph Ernesto’s large eye will likely be near or over Bermuda early Saturday morning with significant coastal flooding expected according to the National Hurricane Center The storm was forecast to dump between 6 to 9 inches of rain Forecasters noted that Ernesto was a large hurricane with hurricane-force winds extending up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 275 miles (445 kilometers) officials in the wealthy British territory suspended public transportation and closed the airport on Friday night National Security Minister Michael Weeks warned of dangerous weather conditions starting late Friday with more than 14% of customers already without power and growing Dangerous surf and rip currents are also possible on the Turks and Caicos the Bahamas and Atlantic Canada during the next few days Ernesto was forecast to be near or east of Newfoundland by Monday night Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan it’s uncommon for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall only 11 of 130 tropical storms that have come within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Bermuda have made landfall The island is a renowned offshore financial center with sturdy construction storm surge is not as problematic as it is with low-lying islands Ernesto previously battered the northeast Caribbean where it left hundreds of thousands of people without power or water in Puerto Rico after swiping past the U.S More than 180,000 out of nearly 1.5 million clients were still without power more than two days after the storm Another 170,000 were without water as the National Weather Service issued yet another severe heat advisory warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.” he could not afford a generator or solar panels Cabrera said he was relying for relief only “on the wind that comes in from the street.” Officials said they hoped to restore power to 90% of nearly 1.5 million customers in Puerto Rico by Sunday but have not said when they expect power to be fully restored Of 152 locations of critical infrastructure without electricity that are being prioritized a private company that operates the transmission and distribution of power on the island Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the third hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record warm ocean temperatures SearchGovernor expresses outrage over ruling in case of 72-year-old woman beaten in Toa BajaThe San Juan Daily StarMar 192 min readGov Jenniffer González Colón on Tuesday in Toa Baja where she helped deliver more than 90 property titles to families residing in towns to the west of San Juan The governor called a recent ruling “very dangerous” in which cause was not found in a case where a 72-year-old woman and her grandson were attacked in Toa Baja (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)By The Star Staff Jenniffer González Colón expressed her outrage on Tuesday over a ruling that no cause would be filed in the case of José Quesada Ojeda who is accused of assaulting 72-year-old Evelyn Rodríguez Marrero and her grandson in the municipality of Toa Baja Not only because we physically saw the blows the citizen received but also because our elders are so vulnerable in this case a judge -- I’m not going to blame the entire system -- was able to weigh the elements of the crime that occurred,” the governor said in response to ques-tions from the press “I’m glad the Department of Justice has spoken out that the secretary of justice is focused on the fact that we have to look out for our victims of crime and she [Rodríguez Marrero] is a victim of a crime I hope the courts rule according to the law.” “What I’m getting at here is that we must ensure the safety and well-being of every neighbor and every person,” González Colón added “And it can’t be that the justice system leaves crime victims orphaned; it’s very dangerous We have an office in the Department of Justice to assist crime victims When a bunch of other people are charged with minor offenses Rey Charlie was charged with insulting someone and this man beat up an elderly woman and there was no charge And I’m not saying one was wrong and the other was right; I’m saying that one also has to consider the scale of the crime I think those are things we should evaluate.” The governor was referring to the guilty verdict of Misael “Rey Charlie” González Trinidad for insulting Cap-tain Elvis Zeno during the welcoming parade for Maripily in May 2024 González Colón said Justice Secretary Janet Parra Mer-cado is evaluating the details of this case to see if changes to the law are necessary Rodríguez Marrero stated that an employee of the Bayamón Prosecutor’s Office told her not to go to court to hear the case because they were going to file it with the sworn statements “The police who assisted me did want me to be there,” Rodríguez Marrero said in response to questions from Nor-mando Honorio Valentín Quintana When asked if she had ever met prosecutor Carlos Gómez who unsuccessfully brought her case before Judge Carolina Guzmán Tejada Parra Mercado has requested a Rule 6 appeal hearing to be held this afternoon SearchSWAT team intervenes in hostage-taking in Toa BajaThe San Juan Daily StarAug 2 20241 min read Police negotiators worked swiftly to convince a man with a knife to release his mother but after the release the man stabbed a pet dog and a tactical entry was carried out resulting in the assailant’s arrest The pet was rescued and promptly taken for veterinary care.By The Star Staff The Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s SWAT team intervened Thursday morning in a situation in which a man barricaded himself with a knife and held his mother against her will at a residence on Gardenia Street in the La Rosaleda 2 development in Toa Baja The intervention took place in relation to a protection order for an elderly person in favor of the mother Thanks to the quick work of police negotiators Fernández Agosto inflicted stab wounds on a Siberian Husky dog with a knife a tactical entry was carried out resulting in the assailant’s arrest The pet was rescued and immediately taken away for veterinary care Raúl Negrón Caldero and Agent Fernán Colón SearchPunta Salinas beach spa inaugurated after $1 million upgradeThe San Juan Daily StarAug 7 20242 min readRenovation work at Punta Salinas included improvements to the activity center infrastructure gazebos and lifeguard towers.By The Star Staff Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia on Tuesday inaugurated the facilities of the Punta Salinas beach resort in Toa Baja the first permanent construction project related to Hurricane Maria completed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) The total investment in the project exceeded $1 million with an allocation of $959,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “We continue to make efforts to improve the facilities of the most important resorts on our island,” Pierluisi said in a written statement “By investing in the infrastructure and maintenance of our resorts we promote a healthy and welcoming environment for all residents of Puerto Rico.” “As a result of the collaborative work between the municipality and our administration today I am pleased to announce the inauguration of the Punta Salinas beach resort as the first permanent work related to Hurricane Maria that has been completed by the DNER,” he added The work included improvements to the activity center infrastructure risk mitigation measures and building reinforcements were implemented for greater resilience along with the addition of four new all-terrain vehicles for surveillance and emergency management DNER Secretary Anaís Rodríguez Vega emphasized that the completion of the works “represents a significant advance for the DNER being the first project that we have completed in its entirety under FEMA funds.” “This initiative demonstrates our commitment not only to restoration but also to the improvement of key infrastructures for the enjoyment and well-being of our community,” she said Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) Executive Director Manuel A Laboy Rivera highlighted the measures implemented to strengthen the facility’s structures against future disasters “The reconstruction included reinforcement with sheet metal the installation of additional stainless steel screws and the construction of reinforced concrete for the columns,” said Laboy Rivera administered by the municipality of Toa Baja through an interagency agreement was transferred in 2022 with the endorsement of the federal government’s National Park Service and this year the agreement was extended for an additional 15 years Natural Resources and the entire interagency component that made this rehabilitation project possible,” Toa Baja Mayor Bernardo “Betito” Márquez said “We have worked together to maximize the socioeconomic development potential of this great treasure of our people.” has been a resident of Puerto Rico her whole life and joined the All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response family when we first arrived on the island back in December Having lived in Toa Baja as a child she became very connected to the unique situation the community faced there’s a couple rivers and streams that run from the mountains down all the way to the coast and it runs through the old town of Toa Baja they had to open the dam because it was about to break There was a massive rush of water coming down from the mountains Once the people started realizing that it was getting flooded it took only minutes for the waters to reach all the way to 7 A combination of high waves from the ocean that mass of water coming down from the mountains and a lake that is in Toa Baja almost flooded the whole town All three bodies of water came together and flooded at least four neighborhoods completely So in a matter of minutes the water started to rise they started rescuing people through helicopters There were people on the roofs asking for help Some people in Toa Baja drowned as well… Once the water came down what they found was whoever had a wood structure was almost 100% destroyed    All Hands and Hearts opened a satellite base in Toa Baja and began welcoming volunteers in January so we were living in the same conditions as the population We had water but we didn’t have electricity There were elderly that were living in muddy houses still Then during the night we would turn on the generators and live with solar lanterns and generators.” shares her and her mother’s journey to recovery She lives down the street from her 82 year old mother Elvira, and has cared for her every day for the last 4 years Rosita opens the door to Tammy with a big smile and warm hugs They were very nice.” Elvira chimes in with a smile ear to ear that there’s still people who are willing to help and we wish that they continue to spread their blessings to all.” Rosita finishes Rosita and Elvira still have work to do to get prepared for another season of storms while visiting Tammy decides to take another look at what is now their roof Our scope of work has expanded in Toa Baja to sealing concrete roofs In April Elvira slipped and fell in her kitchen and experienced some internal bleeding in her brain Rosita believes this happened due to a broken window that leaks water onto the floor when it rains The window replacements were ordered long ago They’re also experiencing some leaks from the roof At the end of our interview Rosita shares her experience with the volunteers “I miss them!” She announces with a big smile and a heart full of joy and they have more friends in Puerto Rico.” Elvira is not the only homeowner that faces ongoing challenges Volunteer Community Coordinator Abbey helped with the demolition of Juan’s home “The house was blown down by the hurricane Two days after the hurricane I was hospitalized because of my foot and I spent a month and a half in the hospital.” Juan shares Juan was hospitalized because he started cleaning up debris right after Maria hit and got a nail in his foot resulted in a bacteria in his foot and gangrene up to his shin told the family about All Hands and Hearts After the hurricane the only family who helped me through this was Nereida She helped me in all aspects; you can always find me here (at her home) She has helped me as if I were her brother his wife has been working tirelessly so they can purchase a new home Juan’s family support has been critical to his outcome during these trying times Since Maria the ongoing challenges of basic necessities: reliable power correlates to increasing rates of depression and suicide wear on people’s overall mental health no one was prepared for that. “But despite all of this we Puerto Ricans are people who don’t forget each other In the middle of the disaster these people have been able to survive thanks to help help from programs like All Hands and Hearts; and from Puerto Rican to Puerto Rican They say that Puerto Rico ‘se levanta,’ will rise,” Nereida says He introduced himself and gave a few simple instructions his only wish was to recover a glass tabletop from the balcony He had few words to say other than thank you, shared a few handshakes and smiles before retreating from the property He spoke with a few of his neighbors before making his way across the street and taking a seat on a stoop watching the team carefully toss what was once his whole life into a pile over the balcony While he had moved into another house with his family the remnants of his life pre-Maria lingered as a constant reminder The team worked tirelessly under the hot Puerto Rican sun to help him Before leaving Juan takes Abbey to meet the horses I enjoy them but since I haven’t been able to get better I can’t (take care of them The completed demolition of Juan’s home will make it easier to now sell the land and begin to fully move forward from the hurricane Puerto Rico has faced many challenges moving forward from Maria Tammy shares her thoughts on her experience with All Hands and Hearts I’m very happy that I’m working for an organization that really cares about the homeowners In order for people to get help they had to apply through the Internet The reality is there are a lot of elders that don’t have any relationship or anything whatsoever to do with the Internet They don’t even know how to type their name on the computer It’s really important to use a system where it’s more social and more one to one How can we help you to live in a more habitable place …I know the recovery on this island is a big monster and we’re starting with the next hurricane season and there’s people living with moldy houses.” While many of the homeowners face a variety of obstacles they often impact our volunteers as much as we impact them Homeowner Victor is a great example of that Victor’s fight with cancer left him in a vulnerable situation but he laughs when he reflects on his time with the volunteers Victor enjoyed putting his many baseball uniforms on for the team, and sharing hands covered in championship rings. They certified me!” Victor exclaims with great pride Amelia looks on as Victor shares his Puerto Rico Jersey and a letter from Toa Baja Municipality and the Government of Puerto Rico we’d start playing music and dance right here We gave lunch to all the workers everyday.” Victor says Victor gets up and disappears around the corner of the patio reenacting a typical lunch break with the volunteers Many homeowners lost everything they owned but Sylvia was surprised to find her wooden beachfront home still standing Sylvia and her sister weren’t home when the hurricane hit We went to my sister’s home that was empty at the time to wait out the storm the roof was gone and I said ‘bueno’ ‘okay’ the house withstood all that it could because the roof had never been changed The only thing that made me happy was that my dog was still alive I had three dogs and a cat and they’re all alive and she led Abbey through the house telling stories “What’s your hope for the house?,” Abbey asks I said I wasn’t going to do anything with the house All Hands and Hearts has done an extraordinary job Next week they’re going to come to see about putting the roof on after All Hands and Hearts does the cleaning I had painted both the interior and exterior of the house Sylvia shares some items that were saved by the All Hands and Hearts muck & gut team Gifts from her sister and husband who have passed Sylvia met her husband on a trip she took to Spain Sylvia talks about her hopes for the future, “At my age Now I can’t travel because I take care of my sister I still have hope that I’ll be able to travel again Sylvia points out the floor her sister painted “How has your experience been with All Hands and Hearts?” Abbey asks I’d like to be a volunteer with your group because although I’m 88 years old Maria may have brought inconceivable amounts of damage and a wave of darkness with a mountain of challenges but glimmers of the Puerto Rican spirit continue to shine through All Hands and Hearts has helped these homeowners through the response process so they can begin to rebuild their lives and they are just a few of the many smiles we’ve seen return We will continue to work with each homeowner to support their individual journey through this process for months to come eager to help communities find a new normal and love the people of Puerto Rico will heal FOOTNOTESStory and Photos by Sarah Capobianco for All Hands and Hearts the office of Mayor Paul Soglin and members of the Puerto Rico Relief Fund of South Central Wisconsin will host a welcoming reception for Toa Baja Mayor Bernardo Marquez Garcia tonight in downtown Madison at Industrious “We are honored to be a part of the Puerto Rico exchange providing an opportunity to establish a partnership with Toa Baja Mayor and his staff to help the redevelopment of their city,” Deputy Mayor Gloria Reyes tells Madison365 “Mayor Marquez has similar values and vision as Mayor Soglin We look forward to showing our great city to the Toa Baja mayor as we visit our city’s facilities We will finish our day with the Latino Chamber of Commerce where they and Puerto Rico Relief Fund of South Central Wisconsin will be hosting a reception with Puerto Rican leaders in our community this evening.” Mayor Marquez Garcia and his Community Outreach Director Edgar Gomez will take part in a host of activities today to connect them with city stakeholders and will meet Madison leaders to discuss economic development for the island They will tour a number of area facilities including Madison/Dane County Public Health the community garden at Brittingham Park and the Bayview Community Center “We always feel like we are in a safe spot here in Wisconsin but you never know what can happen with natural disasters – it could be us in the future,” Latino Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessica Cavazos tells Madison365 “The investment in other communities is really important especially in a moment of need from what has transpired in Puerto Rico So the Chamber is really excited to partner with these other organizations to meet and greet and celebrate with the mayor of Toa Baja Toa Baja is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coast Mayor Márquez is a former business owner and college professor at the University of Puerto Rico Mayor Marques will also be meeting with officials from Centro Hispano and the Latino Chamber of Commerce at Centro Hispano today The reception tonight at Industrious will start at 7 p.m Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers The settlement requires the Municipality of Toa Alta to deal with the contaminated liquid in the southeast portion of the landfill and to pay a $50,000 civil penalty for its past violations The Municipality of Toa Alta has agreed to a settlement with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) to address environmental and public health risks at its landfill in Puerto Rico requires the Municipality of Toa Alta to deal with the contaminated liquid Prior actions are addressing other risks posed by the landfill The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is one of the six chosen locations to participate in th… "This settlement will protect people by requiring that the contaminated liquid under the landfill be properly managed This is a major milestone in our efforts with the residents to address the long-standing problems at the Toa Alta landfill," said Regional Administrator Lisa F "The community has helped shape EPA and DNER’s work to address the unacceptable risks that have been posed by this landfill and we look forward to getting input on this proposed settlement," García added This agreement between the Municipality of Toa Alta and the United States is subject to a 30-day public comment period the public’s right to request a public meeting acceptance by the federal court judge presiding over the case The EPA and the DOJ filed a lawsuit against the municipality alleging that the landfill posed serious threats to human health and the environment due to its poor operation of the landfill In August 2022 a Federal Court ordered Toa Alta to take immediate action to address several of these issues The order did not address the leachate problem in the landfill's southeast cell area or the civil penalty The second stipulation and final order addresses the southeast cell leachate problem • The Municipality will cooperate with a former operator of the landfill to complete the testing and repair of the system to collect leachate from under the southeast cell as required by a 2017 administrative order issued by EPA • The municipality will operate the leachate collection system if it can be repaired and dispose of the leachate properly under the oversight of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico (DNER) the approved regulator of municipal solid waste landfills in Puerto Rico Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the United States District Cou… the municipality will work with DNER to implement near-term and long-term measures to address the leachate from the southeast cell area as part of the permanent final closure plan for the landfill • The Municipality of Toa Alta will pay a $50,000 civil penalty to the United States within 30 days of the effective date of this order The August 2022 agreement included reporting requirements Toa Alta must follow so that EPA can maintain oversight and keep the community informed of developments at or concerning the landfill Each company decides the impact it wants to generate it must keep in mind civility as a mechanism to insert itself in… WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States accelerated in January the latest sign that some inflation pressures in the economy r… Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over $63.3 million from President Biden's Investing in America agenda for Puerto Rico… Puerto Rico is receiving $3.1 million for cleanup If it seems like plastic surrounds nearly every cucumber 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 latest storm to devastate the Caribbean has been particularly destructive in the US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico The island’s power has been completely knocked out with some estimates saying it will be six months before the grid is fully restored President Donald Trump is set to visit the island next week to get a first-hand look at the destruction CURENT—the Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks Knoxville’s Tickle College of Engineering—recently had a conference in San Juan where they met with officials from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority CURENT specializes in research related to the grid Experts from CURENT can discuss some of the following issues related to power outages: Power is often produced far away from areas that use it meaning transmission lines are needed to get it to customers Exposed lines are particularly vulnerable in storms as are the towers and poles that support them Why is it hard to restore power after storms Because it often isn’t just that the lines need to be restrung but also that the supports for the lines and perhaps even the generation plants themselves While it might better protect against storms burying power lines comes with a cost that some areas find prohibitive What kind of steps can be taken to design new systems that can be better maintained and repaired One idea is microgrids—systems that can operate independently of the overall power grid when the situation arises They generate power by drawing on solar and energy storage and can operate in times when the main grid might be down How might microgrids help in situations like the current one in Puerto Rico they could rapidly be activated using stored energy While far from returning power across the island such usage would allow quick restoration to vital areas and services such as medical One of the issues of establishing microgrids is their cost their resilience and reliability can overcome that factor over time Could the US face a similarly dire situation One of the things that makes the problem worse in Puerto Rico is its location While goods have to be flown or shipped to the island the ability to use roads and rail in the mainland helps shorten repair time How does work being done at UT play into this situation and developing new ideas for grid performance This work helps improve electric infrastructure both in times of storms and in normal situations For more information, visit curent.utk.edu or call 865-974-9720 David Goddard (865-974-0683, david.goddard@utk.edu) Report an accessibility barrier See campus status. The active part of the landfill in Toa Baja is currently a hot Federal regulations require trash piles to be covered daily with earth But the site's supervisor says that's currently impossible a three-story-high mountain of debris and waste sits smack in the middle of what was a suburban soccer field before Hurricane Maria devastated the island Blue bleachers peek out from the edge of the trash pile as a line of trucks rolls in to dump even more tree branches and moldy furniture Workmen wearing yellow hard hats operate diggers to add the new waste to the growing pile in the center of the field Puerto Rico is struggling under the weight of its own garbage most of the island's landfills were filled beyond capacity and that nearly half were under orders to close Puerto Rico's Solid Waste Authority estimates that the powerful hurricane created 6.2 million cubic yards of waste and debris. That's enough trash to fill about 43 football stadiums with piles of waste eight stories high Workmen at the soccer field say the site became a makeshift dump because the landfill for the Toa Baja municipality is so flooded with trash that wait times to dump debris can be hours the workers say waste is then moved to the landfill in trucks local governments are supposed to separate tree branches and other "green waste" for composting so that it doesn't clog up landfills That composting process isn't happening everywhere Green debris is still winding up in overflowing landfills across the island though he says authorities are trying to divert additional material to landfills that have more room Rios points out that the hurricane also has created other types of waste things like broken kitchen appliances and food that went rotten because of a lack of electricity The landfill in Toa Baja is managed by the private firm Conwaste and takes in trash from at least four municipalities The site is supervised by 25-year-old Lionel Ruiz it accepted 36,000 tons of waste — that's 70 percent more than the month before the hurricane Ruiz points to trash-filled trucks waiting in a line that stretches down a dirt road and off into the distance We never have that line in normal operation." moldy furniture and other debris from Hurricane Maria piles up at a former soccer field now being used as a dumping site in Toa Baja Most of the island's landfills were already over capacity before the storm devastated the island in September In 2008, the EPA ordered the Toa Baja landfill to close by 2014 because it posed an "imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment." The agency said environmental inspectors found evidence that the landfill did not have a system to control liquid seeping through the garbage pile and into the ground could potentially contaminate a nearby aquifer and wetlands In 2012, the EPA permitted the landfill to delay the closure for an unspecified amount of time It was also allowed to create a smaller area incorporating more environmental precautions — such as a lining to prevent seepage — and begin accepting waste there The problems are much the same across the lush tropical island of Puerto Rico. The EPA got directly involved in the island's landfills in 2002, and has since ordered at least 12 of the approximately 29 landfills to close It's not immediately clear how many sites — most of which are already at capacity — have actually shut down Rios of the Solid Waste Authority estimates that at current recycling rates all of the island's landfills will be full in 20 to 25 years Even the newly added space in Toa Baja's landfill is rapidly filling up he said he thought it would take five years for that area to fill up; Maria has sped up the timeline And he's grappling with immediate problems Birds and insects circle around what is currently a hot you will see a lot of uncovered material," Ruiz says Workers would normally cover the expansive mess with earth every day to comply with federal regulations but he says they haven't been able to do so for a week because the private trucks they use are now being used by FEMA The uncovered mounds of rotting garbage is upsetting to people down the hill in the neighborhood of Candelaria he's seen mountains of trash rise from the ground parts of which are now covered with dirt and vegetation But the waste lies just inches under the surface it is getting bigger and bigger — that was never this height — never," Fernandez says "All that mountain you see there is garbage!" He says people living in Candelaria suffer from asthma and other breathing problems because of the landfill Puerto Rico is struggling with more than $120 billion in debt and pension obligations and has filed for a bankruptcy-like procedure — and that was before the hurricane The EPA has acknowledged that the budget crisis is making it more difficult for local governments on the island to handle the garbage problem The municipalities "have always had limited funds to implement the environmental and engineering controls required to improve And Puerto Rico's Environmental Quality Board hasn't required municipalities to set money aside in case their landfills needed to close is that some of the landfills now under closure orders aren't charging garbage trucks high enough fees to generate the money to actually shut down the troubled landfill system is "a public health issue and it's about to collapse really soon," says Agustín Carbo Lugo He says Puerto Rico also needs to think beyond landfills rather than just open new ones Recycling rates on the island are about half of what they are on the U.S "We need to look for different alternatives," he says particularly because Puerto Rico has limited space That might include a number of other waste management techniques such as "waste-to-energy," which uses methods like incineration to produce electricity and heat "people need to change their behavior and it's quite complex people need to understand what's at stake here." "I think it would be a better place to live The Foundling’s Head Start program operates in Puerto Rico and provides high-quality early education and child development services and emotional growth for later success in school The center-based program embeds responsive and effective teacher-child interactions The Head Start program integrates parent and family engagement strategies into all systems and program services to support family well-being and promote children’s learning and development and linguistically appropriate learning experiences in language To deliver such high-quality early education and child development services the program is staffed by qualified teachers Operating across Puerto Rico Head Start services are provided by The Foundling in five municipalities: San Juan The program educates children ages 3-5 in specially designed early childhood centers Annual Report 2023-2024 Annual Report 2022-2023 Informe Annual 2020-2021 Cataño Coamo Toa Baja San Juan Vega Alta The services featured on this page are supported by Grant Numbers #02CH011266 and #02TD000191 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate or necessarily endorse this website (including and recommendations expressed are those of The New York Foundling and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start came to The Foundling’s Early Head Start Center in San Juan when she learned she was pregnant with her first son for pre-natal guidance and parent resources and support Working in partnership with Head Start specialists Bianca later learned that Kermitt had mild attention deficit challenges Kermitt began to receive the services and help he needed to succeed in school and Bianca’s two younger daughters are currently receiving support and services through Head Start as well Bianca’s three children are thriving today—and she is too Find us   Get on the List   Donate   Employee Login   Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced EPA BIL funding will be used to install a gravel cover in an industrial area and soil cover in a conservation area of the site This work will be the last planned to address contamination at this site and is expected to be fully completed in 2028 The site is among the over 100 sites across the country getting more than $1 billion for cleanup projects as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda This funding is made possible by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will launch new cleanup projects at 25 Superfund sites and continue other cleanups at over 85 Superfund sites "People living in Puerto Rico have seen firsthand how transformative the Superfund program can be for communities,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F “This investment in America and in Puerto Rico builds on the historic progress we have already made in recent years to ensure that communities living near the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned contaminated sites get the protections they deserve,” she added “The Biden-Harris Administration continues its steadfast support for Puerto Rico in our collaborative efforts to protect our natural resources Following last week’s announcement of $63.3 million from the EPA for water resources and infrastructure work today we are pleased to announce another allocation for cleanup at the Scorpio Recycling which was a metal recycling facility until 2010 in Toa Baja is one of the 100 sites across the Nation that will receive more than $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The $3.1 million that EPA is allocating to Puerto Rico will be used to further the cleaning efforts and address contamination at the site and my administration will continue working with the federal government to protect our environment and the health of all American citizens living in Puerto Rico,” said Governor Pedro R Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over $63.3 million from President B… was a 6-acre metal recycling facility that bought all types of metal and sold it to foundries in the United States and the soil became contaminated with acids EPA has “addressed the immediate risks by excavating and removing battery casings and stabilized soil contamination on portions of the site by treating the soil with trisodium phosphate as a temporary mitigation measure to immobilize the lead.” The agency said “thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped or otherwise improperly managed,” which can include “toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities and can harm the health and well-being of local communities in urban and rural areas.” The investment is the final wave of funding from the $3.5 billion allocated for Superfund cleanup work in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law EPA has deployed more than $2 billion for cleanup activities at more than 150 Superfund National Priorities List sites The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $300,000 grant to Dr associate professor of the Chemical Engineering … Puerto Rico (AP) — Felipe Espinal walked into his cockfighting establishment Wednesday night in the northern town of Toa Baja and held up a white pen in triumph as he recorded the moment with his cellphone The crowd hushed as he cried out: “This is the pen that said we can keep fighting gamecocks!” Wanda Vázquez signed a bill authorizing cockfighting in defiance of a federal ban that goes into effect Friday She was surrounded by Espinal and other cockfighters who cheered the decision that the island’s 400-year-old tradition was still alive “We can now live in peace,” said Tony Rojas who takes cares of 100 gamecocks for a living I couldn’t sleep wondering what was going to happen.” territory of 3.2 million people has 71 cockfighting establishments in 45 municipalities licensed by the island’s Department of Sports and Recreation Officials estimate the industry generates $18 million a year and employs some 27,000 people such as Rojas noting that jobs range from judges to technicians who clean gamecocks and feed them papaya after fights to those who secure plastic spurs on cocks before every fight Many of them feared for their livelihoods when Congress approved the 2018 Farm Bill last December It contained the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act that aimed to end cockfighting in U.S The practice was already illegal in all 50 U.S states but is still widely practiced in other U.S The move made many officials in Puerto Rico bristle at what they viewed as another intrusion by the federal government cockfighting was legalized in 1933 by a Puerto Rico governor from Kentucky who sought to attract U.S That move ended 34 years of underground fighting that began when the U.S government banned the practice in May 1899 after it defeated Spain and occupied Puerto Rico It was the Spanish conquistadors who brought cockfighting to Puerto Rico where it cut through race and social classes according to documents that local historian Juan Llanes filed in 2014 with the U.S Criollos could defeat Peninsulares,” he wrote Cockfighting grew so popular it even prompted a Roman Catholic bishop in 1750 to prohibit cockfights at certain times because church attendance had dropped “The gamecock sport in Puerto Rico is not going to disappear,” said Gerardo Mora executive director of Puerto Rico’s Cockfighting Commission a part of the island’s Department of Recreation and Sports Mora was among the roughly 50 people attending cockfights at Espinal’s establishment Wednesday night in Toa Baja a town whose first cockfighting arena was founded in 1786 Cheers filled the air every time a cock gouged its opponent’s eyes out or stepped on its head in triumph after it collapsed and died following intense battles that lasted less than two minutes Those that died were thrown into a black plastic bag to be doused with gasoline Sitting in the crowd was Yeadealeaucks Báez a teacher and only one of three women at the event She works in the kitchen of a nearby cockfighting establishment with her husband a job she said has allowed them to send their daughter to college in Florida and paid for the education of their son They feared the federal ban would sink them financially especially given that Puerto Rico is mired in a 13-year recession as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria and tries to restructure a portion of its more than $70 billion public debt load “I told my husband we would have to sell water at stoplights,” Báez said While cockfighters and government officials in Puerto Rico celebrated the defiance of the federal ban founder of the Washington-based Animal Wellness Action Pacelle said he believes the estimate of cockfighting's economic impact for Puerto Rico is inflated and dismisses arguments that the activity is a tradition for the island “Just because people are enthusiastic about their sport does not mean it’s part of their culture,” he said “There is something gratuitous about cockfighting that offends the sensibilities of people.” PETA Latino also rejected the governor’s move saying it defied modern standards of ethics and compassion The group accused local government officials of protecting a “cruel industry.” Some Puerto Rico legislators believe the fight over the island's effort to avoid the federal ban will end up in court And many cockfighting enthusiasts insist a ban would only drive events underground again Cockfighters like Sigfredo Rivera vowed to keep participating as much as possible “You have no idea how depressed we were,” he said of the federal ban CGTN’s Nitza Soledad Perez visited one of the island’s worst hit communities Hurricane Maria made its way through the municipality of Toa Baja one of the most devastated towns in Puerto Rico Wind gusts over 200 kilometers an hour destroyed thousands of homes “We spent nine hours calling 911 five or six times and they never responded Around 4,000 residents of Toa Baja were rescued “It just started raining and we didn’t think it was going to come that high because the last time that it came it came up but this high right here in the ground The water just gushed down from this way.” “Like I was saying nobody has tried to come here and asked me if we are all right You are the First Lady to come in here and ask us if we are ok,” said Martinez Rosendo Concepcion wanted CGTN to see the damage to his house They all seemed to need someone to just listen to them “I know there are other places I can move to I have to stay fighting here,” said Concepcion This nightmare could repeat itself around 90 km away The governor warned it could breach at any time Authorities urged the 70,000 people in nearby towns to evacuate HURRICANE MARIA COVERAGE ON CGTN From Hechinger Report View of a damaged classroom in a school in Toa Baja after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island Maria set off a years-long stretch of interrupted schooling for Puerto Rico's children Puerto Rico — There was little her family could salvage The flooding last fall that devastated the home of Deishangelxa Galarza a fifth-grader in this coastal area of southern Puerto Rico also closed her elementary school for three days while the staff cleaned out a foot of muddy water from every first-floor room "School is very important to me because I want to keep studying," she said through a translator last fall earthquakes and the pandemic have all forced Deishangelxa's school For Deishangelxa, it was just the latest interruption in schooling that's been characterized by near-constant disruption. She started kindergarten in 2017, the year Hurricane Maria struck the island. Students missed classes for an average of four months closing Deishangelxa's school for another three months Deishangelxa struggled with virtual learning and fell far behind Hurricane Fiona unleashed a furious attack on the island causing widespread flooding and infrastructure damage Schools shut again — a year and a half after in-person schooling had finally resumed — this time for two weeks the nation's sixth-largest school district state comes close to its level of educational impoverishment the district – is both uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters and unusually ill-equipped to help children recover from the learning setbacks that come with them Academic outcomes in Puerto Rico have been on a steady decline since Hurricane Maria In 2022, 36% of fourth-graders and 26% of eighth-graders in the states were considered "proficient" in math according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress so few students made the cut in either grade that the percentages rounded to zero so it's difficult to compare their reading scores with the states but about a year ago education officials reported only 1% of third-graders were reading on grade level damage from heavy rains in Salinas interrupted classes yet again closing fifth-grader Deishangelxa Galarza's school a teacher at the Catholic girls' school Academia María Reina said Puerto Rico's students have experienced years of disrupted learning Muñiz said she used to teach her students the metric system in a week; now it takes more than two months "2017 and 2022 children are not the same," she explained last fall "If you think about my seventh-graders right now they've been going through something ever since second grade Muñiz is constantly having to change her curriculum to accommodate her students "Everything I've done before is no good any more." A year after Hurricane Maria slammed ashore in Puerto Rico buildings in San Juan still relied on temporary blue roof tarps provided by the federal government compounded trauma from multiple natural disasters lingers The money has so far been used to hire hundreds of school nurses and psychologists fund tutoring programs and pay for temporary teacher salary increases a senior adviser to Cardona who heads the federal effort to improve Puerto Rican schools said it was important to tackle not only the system's short-term needs such as stifling bureaucracy and crumbling infrastructure "That way we're not having the same conversation in 20 years," he said With an unreliable electric grid and many students lacking internet access and computers at home online learning was particularly challenging for Puerto Rican students Principal Jorge Luis Colón González leads Deishangelxa's school It's named after a tiny species of frog with an outsized voice that is beloved on the island Colón said a third of his students were struggling academically despite a recovery program he had launched using federal funds were staying behind after school every day for two hours of extra tutoring Colón said he hoped this additional support could help his students catch up He grew up poor in a nearby town and knows the challenges families in his area face The per capita income in this region is about $10,000 a year and it's a path he fervently wants for his students "It's the only tool they have to rise above poverty," he said First grade teacher Ady Abreu has been an educator for more than 23 years but she said she only recently learned how to be effective when she got help from a nonprofit "That they found me is the best thing that's happened to me as a teacher," said Abreu she didn't use strategies like going over new words more than once or asking them questions about what they think might happen next Teachers across Puerto Rico said they have received little assistance in meeting their students' changing needs and many teachers have not received any such support for years the president of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico Educators have also been affected by austerity measures in the last couple of years An oversight board established by the federal government to restructure Puerto Rico's massive debt decided that current educators would no longer receive a guaranteed minimum amount of pension and they would no longer be eligible for retirement benefits before age 63 a spokesperson for the Financial Oversight & Management Board for Puerto Rico said the new retirement plans also "ensured that teachers became eligible for U.S which they had not received before." Victor Manuel Bonilla Sánchez points out this change means teachers must also begin paying into Social Security And teachers on the island are already poorly paid: The average pay in 2018 was $27,000; that same year "Without teachers the country is paralyzed," during a protest in San Juan on Feb Educators staged massive walkouts that year The inadequacy of teacher pay was harshly illustrated in early 2022, when a teacher died in a car crash. It was believed he fell asleep while driving home from night work as a security guard, one of two moonlighting jobs he needed to make ends meet. In response to that tragedy and other events, educators staged massive walkouts prompting the government to approve a temporary $1,000-a-month bump for all educators But it isn't clear what will happen once the money runs out "I may never be able to retire at this rate," said Ana Díaz a third grade teacher who has been teaching for almost two decades more than frustrated — I would have to use a stronger expression than that." She remembered waiting in line with her mother for more than three hours just to enter a supermarket after Hurricane Maria Then there's the mental health crisis among the island's children Compounded trauma from the barrage of disasters lingers Teachers speak of children crying when a passing truck makes the ground vibrate Some kids become distracted in class at the slightest sound of raindrops Others hide food in their pockets and socks "It was hard to get food," she said last fall One recent assessment found that approximately 68,000 kids more than a quarter of all Puerto Rican students were identified as needing help because of an emotional Puerto Rico plans to use part of the $6 billion in federal money to beef up existing school mental health teams in part by hiring more than 420 school nurses and 110 school psychologists to address severe staff shortages among school health personnel Those hires may not be enough to soothe Dinelys' other big concerns around missing so much school "How will I pass my school exams and graduate if I can't go to school?" Puerto Rico's student population has dropped by about half since 2006 works at Delia Dávila de Cabán School in Toa Baja and has experienced the plummeting enrollment firsthand a school bus in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan was still sitting under a tree that came down in the storm Natural disasters have contributed to the decay of the island's crumbling infrastructure "Thirty kids are supposed to be able to fit in my classroom but since Maria it's been significantly lower." She started the last school year with just 14 Díaz said many students have moved to the mainland, often to Florida to stay with relatives But that's not an easy path — not only must they get accustomed to a new place but the curriculum isn't aligned with that in Puerto Rico it's sometimes hard to readjust and catch up with what they've missed "The poor outcomes are super frustrating," said Díaz "Because I see the potential in a lot of them." This migration has implications beyond individual students vacant buildings and teachers like Díaz getting reassigned federally funded after-school tutoring program aims to help students recover from learning setbacks Principal Jorge Luis Colón González's school thousands of yellow and white butterflies fluttered around like confetti the area's residents exuded a palpable sense of anxiety Locals are always on alert for warning signs: Here in southern Puerto Rico if certain ocean birds are suddenly found inland it's said that when the silvery underside of the yagrumo tree's leaves show But Colón was too busy to worry about the next natural disaster — he was focusing on that third of El Coquí's students who are struggling academically He said his resolve to keep working in education — and helping his students — is stronger than ever independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education Edited by Nicole CohenTranslations by Ian PoeVisual design and development by LA JohnsonAudio stories produced by Christine Arrasmith This story has been updated to add more detail about the changes to retirement benefits for teachers in Puerto Rico Become an NPR sponsor Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico with winds of 155 miles an hour leaving the United States commonwealth on the brink of a humanitarian crisis The storm left 80 percent of crop value destroyed 60 percent of the island without water and almost the entire island without power as seen in the nighttime satellite images below National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Note: Some areas of western central Puerto Rico were partially obscured by clouds on Sept suffered severe flooding as a storm surge from nearby San Juan Bay dumped water into coastal communities Eighty percent of the homes in the Juana Matos neighborhood were destroyed DigitalGlobe via Google Earth; Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Though Hurricane Maria had dropped from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm by the time it reached Puerto Rico it was more than powerful enough to rip apart roads and strip trees as it cut a path across the island The Guajataca dam in northwestern Puerto Rico sustained structural damage resulting in flash flood warnings for the nearby municipalities of Isabela and Quebradillas The governor said that nearly 70,000 people could be affected if the dam were to collapse DigitalGlobe via Google Earth; Alvin Baez/Reuters The mountain municipality of Barranquitas in the central region of Puerto Rico has been rendered nearly inaccessible after landslides effectively sealed the area off from conventional means of travel More than 2,000 people were rescued from Toa Baja, one of the hardest hit towns, as the storm surge swept residents away and neighborhoods went underwater. The town’s mayor, Bernardo Márquez, said at least eight people drowned because of the flooding. From left, DigitalGlobe via Google Earth; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Puerto Rico — Glenda Fuentes thanked God and considered herself lucky when Hurricane Maria’s battering winds finally subsided One of the most catastrophic events to ever hit Puerto Rico battering her home in waves and quickly filling every room of her house waist-high floodwaters had swallowed her home “It was disastrous,” said Fuentes who lives in the Miñi Miñi area of Loíza “It came all at once and went through the entire house.” Hurricane Maria tore through the middle of Puerto Rico early Wednesday with 150 mph sustained winds splintering homes and crippling the island nation of 3.4 million But floods brought on by the storm have been equally destructive and deadly.  Toa Baja and Vega Baja were hit by deadly floods People scrambled to rooftops as floods unleashed by the storm enveloped entire towns and rescue teams fought through the storm’s lingering winds to reach them more than 4,000 people were rescued from the floods including a family of four that sheltered in their home from the storm an elderly couple and a state policeman and his son the town’s mayor Bernardo "Betito" Márquez told El Nuevo Dia.  More: Hurricane Maria bears down on Turks and Caicos islands before heading out to sea More: Will Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. mainland? It's unlikely, but not impossible “Rain, lots of rain,” Márquez told the news site. “The swells go up and down but don’t go back out to sea. They stay. So the water just keeps rising.” While moving away from Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria is so large it was expected to continue dumping rain on the island, with an extra 4 to 8 inches likely through Saturday. In some parts of the island, the total rainfall from the storm is expected to be up to 40 inches. The storm crippled this island nation, leaving many communities completely cut off by flood waters and impassable roads.The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would open an air bridge from the mainland on Friday, with three to four military planes flying to the island every day carrying water, food, generators and temporary shelters. But with government help slow to reach some communities, many residents began the recovery process themselves. The hurricane dumped mounds of sand from nearby beaches onto Route 187, the main road connecting San Juan and Loíza that runs along the coast.  On Thursday, bands of young men carrying machetes and hatchets hacked sections of Route 187 free, while bulldozers pushed the sand off the road and into heaping piles on the shoulder. Roberto Bermudez, 56, lives on that road. He was set to ride out the storm in his one-story concrete home with his wife and mother-in-law. But as Maria’s winds intensified, he saw the palms bend down nearly to the floor and the sea start to swell over Route 187.  He put the family in the car and raced to higher ground in San Juan. “I’m brave, but what was coming our way was braver,” Bermudez said. In Loíza, a staging area was set near a school that doubled as a shelter for displaced residents. National National Guard troops and State Police mingled with worried residents. Just down the street, floodwaters still engulfed the neighborhood of Miñi Miñi. Some people waded into the water to return to their homes or search for loved ones. High-water trucks continuously brought residents out of the flooded area. Others, refusing to leave, waited on the second story of two-story homes, as contaminated floodwater circled their homes. On Thursday, the embattled neighborhood drew a visit from Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who took part on rescue missions, met with the city’s mayor and spoke with displaced residents. One of them, Fuentes, said she waded out of her flooded home and went to her sister’s house, where a high-water truck picked them up and brought them to a shelter. But the shelter had run out of cots and water and had no baths, she said. She was considering returning to her flooded home and riding out the disaster there. “This is worse than my home,” she said, standing outside the shelter. “I just want to go home.” People clean the streets in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 22, 2017, two days after Hurricane Maria roared ashore as a Category 4 storm, killing at least 13 to 15 people and knocking out the island's power grid. A man walks through his house, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017. An aerial view of Roseau, the capital of the Caribbean island of Dominica, shows the destruction on Sept. 21, just days after the passage of Hurricane Maria on Sept 18 as a Category 5 storm. Hurricane Maria killed at least 14 people on the island nation of Dominica, two in Guadeloupe and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Reuters reported. Residents inspect houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017. Juana Matos is located on the northeast coast of the island. On Friday, Sept. 22, tens of thousands of people living in northwestern Puerto Rico were order to evacuate due to fears of the failure of a dam holding back a large inland lake, according to the Washington Post. Damage to houses in Roseau, on the Caribbean island of Dominica, can be seen on Sept. 21, three days after Hurricane Maria roared through, leaving at least 13 to 15 residents dead. Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Scientific AmericanJeanna Bryner is managing editor of Scientific American Previously she was editor in chief of Live Science and an editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine Bryner has an English degree from Salisbury University a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution She is a firm believer that science is for everyone and that just about everything can be viewed through the lens of science La Niña is dead — what that means for this year's hurricanes and weather Conspiracy theory that Hurricane Milton was 'engineered' explained by psychologists Experts alarmed as White House proposes 'largest single-year cut to NASA in American history' Some municipal structures remain inoperative two years after Hurricane Maria announced that the Senate of Puerto Rico approved more than $1 million to fund works and permanent improvements in the coastal municipality of Toa Baja The designation was introduced by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and Senate Treasury Committee Chairwoman Migdalia Padilla “Toa Baja was one of the municipalities in our District that was the most severely impacted by Hurricane Maria (in 2017),” Ríos said The senator stressed that the category-4 storm caused millions of dollars in damages to municipal structures that remain inoperative due to delayed disbursements by insurance companies there is still much left to do in this municipality and its mayor has worked tremendously to achieve stability in his town this fund designation issued by the Senate president is vital so that Toa Baja’s transformation goes on,” Ríos stated Márquez informed that this funding represents the first phase in the rebuilding of the Campanillas sector and is part of his municipal administration’s “community vision.” The allocations come from Joint Senate Resolutions 390 and 392 which assign more than $6.5 million and $22.6 million About the project Walter Cronkite School of Journalismand Mass Communication By Natasha Khan
Cronkite Borderlands Initiative Puerto Rico -- A Dominican man sits on the edge of a couch in his rusty trailer calloused hands in this community just west of San Juan A few minutes later a pickup truck whooshes by spilling water from huge metal barrels in the truck bed a furious swarm of mosquitoes following close behind The truck passes a thin brown pony tied to a pole outside a handful of dilapidated houses thrown together with sheet metal and concrete blocks The houses sport pastel paint jobs -- flamingo pink and Caribbean blue The people who live here are squatters; they hold company with millions of poor people worldwide who build homes on land they don't own But something is different here; these squatters are on their own land Two Christmases ago they found themselves homeless along with 170 other families -- mainly poor Dominican women and children established a decade before on land they didn't own was demolished in 2010 by the Puerto Rican government because it was illegally built on a dangerous flood plain The families garnered international attention when they banded together to try to resist the Puerto Rican government's eviction order creating their own cooperative to have more power as a unified entity Their cohesiveness and the publicity surrounding their plight led to an agreement in which the government set aside land where the community is now supposed to rebuild The families haven't been able to get the necessary permits to start building homes And infighting between community leaders has confused and divided the families "We are hard working families," said Laura Mota vice president of the community cooperative "We just need a lift up to make things go." Mota is a Mexican-American from the mainland U.S That the community has gotten this far is extraordinary: the squatters -- many undocumented Dominicans -- are now land owners trying to plan finance and build a new housing development "It was such a good project: immigrants who don't own the land coming to an agreement with the government It had never been done before," said Maria Sanchez Bras from Puerto Rico's Department of Housing But what began as an innovative solution rapidly devolved into a bureaucratic waiting game and disagreements between members of the community It's been almost a year and a half and many former Toa Baja residents are homeless paying unaffordable rent in surrounding cities or staying with family members Six community members currently squat on the land that was reserved for them by the government while a few others live in storage units on the community's original plot They use generators for electricity by running extension cords to makeshift homes They are constantly threatened with eviction -- by government officials concerned with health and safety issues and by fellow community members who say they shouldn't be living there at all who lives a few blocks away from the reserved land in a rat-infested house for which she struggles to pay the $500-a-month rent "We want a safe home for our families to live in." Mota lets the squatters take showers at her house and feeds them whenever she can The saga of Villas del Sol began when the informal community's 17 original acres were designated a flood plain by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico in 1998 FEMA granted the Puerto Rican government almost $17 million to relocate multiple squatter settlements in Toa Baja under a program called the New Secure Housing Program In the next 10 years the community grew to more than 200 families with housing ranging from small wooden shacks to sturdy 2,000-square-foot ranch-style homes After years of looking the other way Puerto Rican government officials say they were forced by FEMA to take action The federal agency threatened to take back $180 million in general disaster relief funding according to Puerto Rican Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock if you have 100 families as squatters on a piece of land is that really worth 180 million dollars?" McClintock said in an interview at his office in historic Old San Juan In August 2009 the Puerto Rican government tried to force the squatters off their original land by cutting off the supply of water and electricity and setting up a 24-hour police barricade The residents lived nearly nine months without water and lights which they were previously obtaining illegally "I think that was the worst nightmare," Mota said Dengue fever and H1N1 emerged because of the poor living conditions and children started getting sick media campaigns and involvement from the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International some of the resisting community members were tasered Department of Justice 2011 report on police brutality in Puerto Rico Maritza De la Cruz said she was beaten on her pregnant stomach and her then 6-year-old son Mota said townspeople would say cruel things like "they don't deserve water" and "catch them on fire." every individual is a human being and has a right to anything in life." The ACLU accused the Puerto Rican government and police of intentionally targeting the community because many residents were Dominican immigrants there are 68,306 Dominicans living in Puerto Rico Dominican Consul Maximo Taveras believes it to be closer to 200,000 Dominicans say they experience discrimination on a regular basis A few University of Puerto Rico students came to the aid of the squatters Legions of lawyers descended on the community and worked pro bono to fight the eviction A concentrated effort by the ACLU got the water and electricity turned back on after several failed attempts to spur the U.S The ACLU eventually appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington D.C. "I think the government just wanted to teach this community a lesson so other communities do not spring up," said the ACLU's William Ramirez "It is also easier to target undocumented immigrants then it is to target citizens." The legitimacy of the squatter movement lies in the eyes of the beholder Some government officials in Puerto Rico call squatters "invaders." The squatters themselves say they are engaged in "rescate de terreno"-- "land rescue." Rescates have a rich history of political and social activism in Puerto Rico dating back to the 1940s when poor rural farmers started moving to the cities an urban sociologist and a leading authority on squatter settlements in Puerto Rico "This name [rescates] started a struggle that qualifies as a righteous one because it was perceived that society had not been able to or had not wanted to meet the basic housing needs of the poorest sectors," she wrote in her 2011 book which means "break down the wall" in Spanish executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Puerto Rico the conflict can be summed up in a few words: a lot of poor people and too little land that is suitable for building houses The island territory is about 100 miles long by 35 miles wide and has a population of nearly 3.8 million "Squatters are the way which poor people design and build their own communities," said Edwin Morales architect and planner at the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico who has worked with squatter communities for nearly 40 years "When the market doesn't attend to their needs they have to find ways to get some place to live." "Land invasions are going to continue and the people are going to be reclaiming some lands because they have a demand for land that the government is not supplying," Vega said Just down the road from the mayor's office Jesus Nuñez is playing his guitar and singing a soft Dominican love song He's in a trailer he placed illegally on the new land given to Villas del Sol I feel a great love for her," he sings in Spanish There's no work today so his construction hat sits nearby but there are remnants of a former life: a bright yellow stuffed animal and pink floral sheets that look like they were chosen with a woman's touch the former secretary of the Villas del Sol cooperative was deported to the Dominican Republic in early 2012 The couple's 10-year-old daughter went with her He doesn't want to elaborate on the story -- he is undocumented The few squatters living here take up a small slice of the land on which the community was given to resettle The rest is green and open with tall unkempt grass and piles of forgotten tile dumped here and there to level the terrain before building can begin Nuñez moved here in December 2011 because he was unemployed and couldn't pay his rent He lives on the plot of land that was assigned to him when it was transferred to the Villas del Sol cooperative from the city government of Toa Baja Some community members don't want the squatters on the land but the squatters say they have little choice sitting on the arm of a couch in his trailer "Further into the future we can but right now no -- but I don't understand why." the families of Villas del Sol long for their community's reconstruction on the new parcel of land reserved by the government They believe something priceless was lost after the eviction from their original community "I came here wet and salty," said Maritza De la Cruz president of the Villas del Sol cooperative as she bounces her daughter on her lap while the two-year-old messily devours an ice cream treat outside their home in Toa Baja It is hot and her neighbor's cockfighting roosters crow noisily in their cages De la Cruz came to Puerto Rico on a makeshift wooden boat commonly known as a yola that traveled 165 miles across the choppy waters of the Mona Passage from the Dominican Republic -- a harrowing journey taken by hundreds of illegally immigrating Dominicans each year "I'm not embarrassed to say I came here illegally because in that moment it was a decision for the life of my two children that I had in Santo Domingo," she said grandfather and brother on a farm that grew cocoa and rice but they didn't make enough money to pay the bills you are submerged in poverty there," she said When she was pregnant with a third child De la Cruz left her two young children with relatives and struck out for Puerto Rico She planned to send money home and provide a better life for her unborn child "If you are a single mother living with your children you are probably going to get into a yola and come to the U.S illegally and try to get your documents," she said De la Cruz said she has her documents now and still sends money to the two children she left in the Dominican Republic She also now has two children who were born in Puerto Rico Del la Cruz and her husband came to Villas del Sol in 2004 looking for an affordable place to live She was the only one working at the time and the couple couldn't afford rent and utilities in traditional housing developments The couple worked morning and night to build their small home "I felt like it was a palace or a mansion." The house was destroyed after the community agreed to leave the original parcel of land in 2010 De la Cruz's story is similar to many Villas del Sol community members But they all said they found a home and a sense of community in Villas del Sol The Puerto Rican government has no policy in place for dealing with established squatter communities the legal director for the Puerto Rican Land Authority because it's the first one that the government felt the heat from the government agency of the United States," Ortiz said FEMA would give money to Puerto Rico to relocate communities off of floodplains I want to be part of an invasion because sooner or later they are going to have a good house in upland," he said Because people saw that sooner or later they're going to move me to another place FEMA gave the Puerto Rican government millions of dollars to relocate families from the designated flood plain -- the community's original land In 1999 most of the families were relocated to an upland neighborhood called Campanillas 20-25 families remained and rebuilt Villas del Sol which mushroomed to more than 200 families by 2007 Ortiz said FEMA's reaction was: "That's all You take those people out of this place or return me the money I offered you to make those houses." donated 17 acres of land in 2009 to the Villas del Sol community in the coastal town of Arecibo The government deemed that land a natural resource and swapped it for another piece of land located in Toa Baja -- near the original settlement This is the "new land," set aside by the government especially for the Villas del Sol families It was all made possible by Ibarra's donation The end of the Villas del Sol story is still unwritten Mayor Vega projects that it will be another two years before the community can legally move onto the new land "The more money the government contributes the cheaper the cost for them for infrastructure and that's what's being worked on to identify or secure federal funds with proposals to develop these homes," he said The designers say they can't start until the roads and sewers are built "We are waiting for Vega Borges to do the infrastructure," said Elio Martinez an architect from the University of Puerto Rico who leads a group of students who are designing the new Villas del Sol community The community is trying to get loans to build their homes but the process is slow There are disagreements between the leaders of the community Some leaders want to strike a deal where every family would take out a $65,000 home loan But when you are only making $60-$80 a day and not consistently working "I don't know who is going to lend them the money because in Puerto Rico no one is lending money for building anything right now," he said in a phone interview Many people have ideas for where and how the community should live who has become one of the outspoken voices in the community wants the community members to build their own homes similar to what they did in the old community She is searching for Habitat for Humanity-like charities that might help the community build and regain its autonomy But she says the community is growing impatient with the bureaucratic processes and how long it is taking to proceed And if we gotta go in there without a permit But the government doesn't want the community to be built as it was before "At the moment they can go in and do what they did which is what we don't want," said Mayor Vega the confrontations with police and finally negotiating what seemed like a sensible solution have left even the most ardent supporters demoralized and frustrated They wonder if their community will ever rise again We negotiated for this right and we are going to pay for it "Having a home where you can be with your family means more than you can ever imagine," Mota said Isla de Cabras (Goat’s Island), in the town of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, is known today for its beaches, spectacular views of Old San Juan visitors will notice some ruins that are seemingly out of place Their past reveals that Isla de Cabras wasn’t always a recreational getaway The island served as an inspection port for ships coming from Europe during the early 19th century were placed under quarantine to prevent potential victims from spreading the disease to the mainland a colony for the victims of infectious diseases was officially established on the island construction began on four buildings that would serve as a shelter and hospital for the diseased The brick structures were finished by 1883 and were known as the Lazaretto de Isla de Cabras (Lazaretto of Goat’s Island) admittance was pretty much a death sentence The facility remained operational even after the United States seized control of Puerto Rico in 1898 following the Spanish-American War it was forced to shut down by 1923 due to its inhumane conditions The remaining occupants were eventually moved to a new and safer institution in the town of Trujillo Alto Isla de Cabras was used for various other purposes until it was transformed into the recreational getaway it’s known as today The decaying ruins of the old hospital remain a curious oddity to most visitors though for those aware of the area’s former use they serve as a reminder of the island’s morbid past The ruins can be explored at your own leisure keep in mind that they are not being monitored or maintained so use common sense and watch your footing since there are crumbling bricks all over the ground An unexpected ghost village lurks on the southeast coast of Tenerife This abandoned Greek island was the last active leper colony in Europe the first public health hospital in the U.S saw more than one million immigrants from around the world This ruins of an abandoned Victorian-era mental health facility This deserted town in the hills of Croatia’s "party island" may have a scandalous connection to King Henry VIII The ruins of an open-air theater built on this Georgia island in the 1970s The crumbling remains of a once-grand building This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This has triggered protests across the island and teachers are mobilizing a campaign against the Education Department’s plan to close the school 70-year-old Jose Ortiz is pouring coffee for customers outside his bright green food truck He’s been operating it for 31 years with his wife Maggie Maggie and Jose Ortiz (L to R) in front of their food truck on April 17 there is a stove that he uses to cook pizza and brew coffee and a small fryer he uses to make pastelillos “When the children grow up they come back to eat the turnovers,” Ortiz said Ortiz’s shirt reads “We are all JFK,” in support of the elementary school resisting its impending closure “I hope to God they don’t close it,” he said talked to parents and grandparents when they drop their kids off and given away treats to students who don’t always have money Check out all of Marketplace Weekend’s coverage of Puerto Rico here.  Sign up for the Marketplace newsletter to get the day’s biggest business stories straight to your inbox every weekday evening (CBS 12) — Right now communities all over Puerto Rico are struggling to recover Many people rely on outside help to get back on their feet Our cameras captured how people from Palm Beach County are transforming homes and lives “We are in Toa Baja,” said Maria Celeste Pedrosa Pedrosa takes a break from cleaning up her mother's home that was inundated with water and mud the sun shines through the few pieces of the roof still intact her mom Carmen Marrero contemplated suicide time and time again “I am struggling but at least I am in my house cooking and doing what I want,” Marrero said Marrero uses a solar generator because she can’t afford to rewire her home “At least god sent me some people to help,” Pedrosa said “We have picked people like her to help them with their homes and clean them out so they can have normal living circumstances again,” said Astrid Anduze-Melendez Melendez traveled from Palm Beach County to assist with the recovery process Along with the help of another group called Puerto Rico One by One peeled off paint and scraped tile off the floor Just a short drive away in a nearby town of Dorado both volunteer groups are helping hurricane survivor Ramonita Colon Now all that remains is a small concrete shed she's using as her living space Ramonita is using a makeshift shower to bath every day “They never expected to lose everything they way they did,” Melendez said Ramonita is getting a new house and Pedrosa's mother home is getting a facelift “I see my mom’s face and it is priceless,” Peedrosa said Hurricane Maria became the strongest storm to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 85 years when it came ashore.CNN Puerto Rico has been devastated by Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4 storm that also impacted several islands in the Caribbean It was the strongest storm to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 85 years. It came ashore on September 20 with sustained winds of 155 mph “This is total devastation,” said Carlos Mercader … This is something of historic proportions.” Members of the Army Reserve assist residents of Toa Baja Toa Baja was evacuated because of flooding People walk by a collapsed building in Old San Juan A shack is destroyed in San Juan on September 21 A bed is exposed to the elements in a storm-damaged home in Humacao Power lines are scattered across a road in Humacao on September 20 Rescue workers drive through a flooded road in Humacao on September 20 A San Juan resident stands outside a wrecked home on September 20 A man rescues a rooster from his flooded garage in Fajardo A San Juan resident dumps buckets of water out of a flooded home on September 20 A woman pulls a trash can past a destroyed home in Fajardo on September 20 Rescue personnel make preparations before going out to help 19 police officers who were stranded at their flooded station in Humacao on September 20 People walk by a damaged sailboat that had washed ashore in Fajardo on September 20 Trees are toppled outside the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan on September 20 People pray in Humacao before the hurricane made landfall Waves crash in San Juan as the hurricane neared the island on September 19 Evacuees rest at an emergency shelter in Humacao on September 19 More than 500 residents of San Juan take shelter at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum on September 19 Rivera Pichardo for the Washington Post/Getty Images The calm before the storm: Humacao resident David Cruz watches the waves on September 19 a landfill watchdog group is pushing for him to ask the Environmental Protection Agency for more funds to close several of the island’s overfilled landfills a landfill citizen’s action group in the territory to the governor asking him to take action in stopping the illegal dumping and expansion of the Toa Baja landfill “The situation at the Toa Baja municipal landfill underlines the urgency of this matter,” wrote Hiram Torres Montalvo “Widespread dumping and the illegal expansion of the landfill continues and illicit gas that poses an imminent danger of explosion and fire This has made the neighborhood of Candelaria unsafe the landfill was still open and trucks were driving in to dump more waste at the site A view of the Toa Baja landfill from the Candelaria neighborhood Puerto Rico’s landfill crisis has been unchecked for the past 20 years. The EPA granted local authority of the 29 active landfills on the island to the Environmental Quality Board However, Puerto Rico Limpio published a bombshell report in August that said 19 out of the 29 active landfills in Puerto Rico are non-compliant with federal rules and the EPA has been ignoring these problems despite several internal reports suggesting EPA inspectors knew about it many of the landfills are over capacity and are not following EPA regulations such as placing a plastic lining between the garbage and the soil and properly maintaining and removing dirty water lakes from trash runoff which could end up in nearby neighborhood wells for drinking water The EPA announced last year that they would close the Cayey and Arroyo landfills in Puerto Rico within two to three years but activists said the EPA is just making false promises again since several other landfills were supposed to close under new direction from administrator Scott Pruitt will make the landfill crisis a priority and is calling on Rosselló to make it happen You ran for and have governed to date on ensuring Puerto Ricans are not treated as second-class citizens You have the authority to ask the EPA for immediate financial and technical assistance,” the letter states Rosselló and Federal Oversight Board Chairman Jose Carrion III are in the nation’s capital to testify before Congress on the progress the Commonwealth has made since former President Barack Obama signed The Puerto Rico Oversight and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) into law last year A report from the Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico released in December found that most of Puerto Rico’s landfills are in violation of EPA’s regulations governing solid waste management in a November letter to Puerto Rico Limpio former EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck painted a rosier picture of the federal agency’s handling of the landfill crisis She pointed to progress being made with 10 landfills operating with fully-lined disposal cells and even 15 sites implementing a mosquito control plan The landfills became a breeding ground for mosquitoes during the height of the Zika virus emergency on the island “The EPA continues to investigate the landfills on the island, and where necessary, will take legal action,” Enck wrote in the letter the agency has acted and will continue to act to protect public health and the environment from adverse impacts from the municipal solid waste landfills in Puerto Rico.” Pruitt plans to do anything about the Puerto Rico landfill crisis The former Oklahoma attorney general has been blasted by the media for being a climate change denier and ally of the oil He has also called for an “aggressive” regulatory rollback within the agency and it’s not immediately known how that would impact Puerto Rico The only question Pruitt received about Puerto Rico’s non-compliant landfills during his confirmation hearing came from U.S I expect to make cleanup of contaminated land one of my priorities,” he responded “I also believe in the importance of hearing the views of all stakeholders and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.” Torres Montalvo applauded his remarks and said they “are a promising departure from the Obama EPA that turned a blind-eye to the illegal landfills operating in Puerto Rico.” It’s unlikely Rosselló will head back to the island territory with any promises of more funding for the landfill crisis President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint calls for a 31 percent spending reduction for the EPA Also, the Commonwealth is currently working on a plan to pay back it’s more than $70 billion debt. Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board approved last week the governor’s plan which calls for austerity measures and significant cuts in public spending Torres Montalvo said in the letter to Rosselló that he should pay close attention to the ongoing landfill crisis are begging us for help every day,” he wrote no Puerto Rican should be subjected to and forced to live in these conditions especially when the law expressly forbids it Follow Kyle on Twitter. Subscribe for the Latest From InsideSources Every Morning For Comments, Questions, Or Complaints aboutour articles please contact us.