Cover Page Legal HistorySports reaches deal to avert closing of Utuado HospitalThe San Juan Daily StarJan 162 min readAn agreement reached Wednesday through the combined efforts of local officials and a group of dedicated doctors ensures that the Hospital Metropolitano de la Montaña in Utuado will continue to provide health services.By The Star Staff Designated Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero Joe “Joito” Colón and Utuado Mayor Jorge Pérez Heredia secured a preliminary agreement on Wednesday to prevent the closure of Utuado Hospital a situation that had raised significant concerns within the community The Hospital Metropolitano de la Montaña in Utuado had announced the closing of its emergency units to become a mental health institution reached through the combined efforts of local officials and a group of dedicated doctors ensures that the mountain region hospital will continue to operate the hospital will provide health services from 7 a.m an ambulance will be available to address emergency cases on the days when the hospital is transitioning It is anticipated that services will eventually be extended to operate 24 hours a day in order to meet the urgent needs of the populace Colón expressed his relief regarding the outcome as our team was able to reach agreements that ensure the residents of Utuado and surrounding towns can continue to receive medical care at our hospital,” Colón said “We will work diligently to expand this agreement and ensure our community has access to comprehensive services Our priority is to guarantee that our population has nearby hospital resources available in case of emergencies.” The legislator thanked the Health secretary Jaime Barlucea Rodríguez “and the courageous health professionals who stepped forward to manage our hospital.” “I reaffirm my commitment to continue providing support as needed,” Colón said “Being an accessible representative is our priority.” © 2025 The San Juan Daily Star - Puerto Rico Find out some facts about the Boricua superstar Picture by 2019 Getty ImagesBy ZK GohPuerto Rico's Adriana Díaz is the top-ranked non-Asian women's table tennis player in the world Since then, she has gone on to make her mark on the sport, qualifying for Tokyo 2020 by winning the 2019 Pan American Games tournament – the first Puerto Rican singles gold medallist in the sport. Here are some things you to know about this Boricua superstar from Utuado, in central Puerto Rico. the teenager inspiring Puerto Rico's "table tennis revolution"The 18-year-old is the highest-ranked female table tennis player from the Americas and is helping raise the sport's profile in the island We spoke to her at the Pan American Games about her love of the sport and aims beyond Lima 2019 having won Pan American women's doubles and women's team gold alongside Adriana Her father Bladimir Díaz is her main coach "I started at four years with my sister Melanie, who is four years older than me, so did my other sister too, so it was always quite recreational, having fun. "Later around the age of ten was where I began to think [whether] I wanted to take home-schooling or something to be able to have more time to train." Having her father as her coach and travelling everywhere as a family could bring stress, but Díaz said it does not affect their relationship. "Yes, there are times when my dad and I or my sister and I fight, but I think it's normal. My dad pushes me a lot, he knows what I can give and he always presses me to the end," she said. "I think it is a beautiful union that we have, something that I would not change for the world, although we fight many times. I think my family has led to where we are today." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adriana (@diazadriana123) Puerto Rico is not exactly a hotbed of table tennis, and to get around it, Díaz and her father have visited China nearly every year to train since she was not yet eight years old. "I went to China in 2008 for the first time," she explained. "I went with my dad. We understood that at that time it was very important to enter China, because obviously the best in the world are there. "What better place to [start], than here with the best in the world? Since then, I have gone almost every year. I love China, for me it's an incredible country." Díaz, who spent the end of 2020 and start of 2021 playing in the Chinese Super League as part of an invitational team of global players including Chinese Taipei's Cheng I-Ching and South Korea's Jeon Jihee, added she had learned a lot from her time in the Far East. "Asian players have been practising this sport for many years; it comes from above, from the presidents [of the federations] who were players at some point. "There are many, many players who keep coming out of Asia and they keep on coming and they are getting better and better, so it is very difficult to beat them. They are super disciplined, they are very fast, they are very intelligent playing. "Table tennis has taught me many things," Díaz said. "Friendship, traveling, getting to know different cultures. It's something that has made me grow and also mature a lot." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adriana (@diazadriana123) From being an almost-unknown sport in Puerto Rico, table tennis now has a wide reach in Puerto Rico and Díaz has a high profile in her home territory. Díaz was even named Puerto Rico's Revelation Athlete of the Decade last year, an impressive achievement given the status of the sport when Díaz was first starting out. "Few people knew of it, many people called it simply ping-pong or [thought it was] something recreational," Díaz explained. "Now people know it as table tennis, and people see it as a sport. "I never would have imagined being where I am now. For me this is a dream, because it's not very common that table tennis players come from Puerto Rico and are in the top 20 in the world. "I feel that people in Puerto Rico believe in us, follow us, support us. Of course, in part I feel that I have to dedicate or show that I am playing this sport for Puerto Rico. I want to take it as high as I can. "I believe in [the people] too, so because of the support they give me, so I hope to dedicate a lot [to the sport]." In fact, Díaz is now so well known in Puerto Rico, that… View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adriana (@diazadriana123) the Díaz family was forced to withdraw from the ITTF World Tour Swedish Open and Austrian Open due to a lack of funding With Puerto Rico's National Olympic Committee and table tennis federation unable to contribute towards airfare for Adriana He sponsored the family's flights to Europe allowing the Díaz sisters to gain much-needed world ranking points "He helped me at a time when I needed him; he helped me and my sister because in Puerto Rico things are not easy a super humble person; a person with a good heart And I thank him every day for what he did." "Adriana Díaz likes very much what she does quite happy and above all very grateful to the family that she has," she explained in self-description "I believe that I am very lucky to have the family that I have to have the life that I have and super happy above all things and a person who hopes that in the future she can achieve her dreams." "My short-term goal is to simply keep winning tournaments and also get to the top 10 once maybe I will win a medal at the Olympycs in Paris or Los Angeles but I am going to continue working towards that and it is my dream to bring a medal for Puerto Rico." Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors SearchBill promotes medical marijuana program at UPR UtuadoThe San Juan Daily StarMar 133 min readThe House Education Committee Tatiana Pérez Ramírez (third from left)By The Star Staff The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Utuado Campus is set to establish a program focused on medical marijuana research and cultivation contingent upon the passage of relevant legislation was discussed during a meeting of the House of Representatives Education Committee earlier this week Jorge Navarro Suárez and Héctor Ferrer Santiago Its aim is to amend the Medicinal Law (Law 42-2017) to permit the UPR to develop techniques for planting and managing both marijuana seeds and imported plants “This is a bill that requires greater attention so we will examine and evaluate information beyond the presentations from various agencies in order to produce a thorough report,” Pérez Ramírez said Tuesday he acknowledged the “worthy purpose” it could serve for the UPR particularly its potential to allow individuals interested in the medicinal cannabis industry to specialize in related studies and research He stated that the legislation could foster the advancement of professionals with expertise in medicinal cannabis cultivation addressing new opportunities generated by that growing market the chancellor opposed the measure due to the campus’ fiscal constraints and its limited budget which might not accommodate the implementation of the academic program as mandated Tapia Maldonado also raised concerns about the strict legal framework -- both state and federal -- regulating medicinal cannabis use in Puerto Rico along with the potential lack of support the legislation could receive from university authorities He noted that the institution must certify that it maintains a campus where drug and alcohol use is prohibited in order to receive federal funds as required by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 he suggested that the UPR could pursue special licenses through the Drug Enforcement Administration for research involving controlled substances “The proposed project could have significant benefits that subject to a favorable evaluation of the issues outlined above could represent a positive and groundbreaking step for the University of Puerto Rico,” Tapia Maldonado said a more detailed study of the fiscal and regulatory implications of this measure is necessary.” Muñoz also expressed opposition to the measure noting in an explanatory memorandum that implementing a program “contrary to federal law” could jeopardize the university’s accreditation He added that approval of the bill would likely create an “adverse economic impact” on the institution and complicate the establishment of the program in a manner that is academically viable the proposal received support from the Acting Health Secretary Iris Cardona Gerena who described it as an “invaluable opportunity” to strengthen Puerto Rico’s agricultural and research industry The agency emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Board and the private sector to ensure compliance with “the highest regulatory standards.” “With proper planning and a strong commitment from all parties involved this program has the potential to position Puerto Rico as a leader in the research and development of medicinal cannabis-derived medicines,” Cardona said who heads the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration describing it as an “essential strategy to advance the treatment of various health conditions and improve the quality of life for thousands of people.” the town of Utuado in Puerto Rico town had to build a makeshift zip line to ferry supplies across raging Rio Abajo.UTUADO Puerto Rico -- After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico last year residents in one rural area were so isolated from the rest of the island that they began to refer to themselves as Campamento los Olvidados (Camp of the Forgotten) Flash flooding from Rio Abajo destroyed bridges leading into Utuado, leaving dozens of families with no connection to the outside world. The National Guard didn't arrive until October 6, but by then, the residents had helped themselves, they told AccuWeather. It took months for the government and the military to fix the bridges leading into town, so residents got creative with what they had on hand. They used a shopping cart to create a makeshift zip line that could pass supplies, food, water and even people across the river. The main bridge into town wasn't repaired in March, six months after the storm hit. No matter where in Puerto Rico, the youth needs to stay busy in the sport of boxing. The World Boxing Organization (WBO), chaired by Francisco Valcárcel, Esq. and under its worldwide program WBO Kids Drug Free, along with the Boxing Bullies entity – founded by Jake Paul – joined forces to open a gym in Utuado, located in the Cabrera neighborhood. The gym has a new ring, a variety of training equipment for coaches and boxers of all levels, plus remodeled bathrooms, as well as the gym’s surroundings and its floor. Orlando Samot, Wilfredo Guzmán, and Jorge Luis Nieves will manage the gym. “We want to make a great card in Utuado in this incredible facility,” Valcárcel said. “The alliance we’ve made with Jake Paul will continue to bear fruit because we have a list of gyms. We will be supervising the already fixed gyms so that they stay clean. The gym is the best place a young person can be. Here you learn to be courteous, respectful, humble, and disciplined. Mayor Jorge Pérez is committed to this gym and that is important”. “We all have violence inside,” Batista Salas said. “We try to organize that violence into educating it, to get young people out of using that violence in gangs, to kill, and to use it for other positive things; to educate them, to put on the gloves, to discipline it, and that the young person can use it to benefit himself, his family, his people, and Puerto Rico. This is extraordinary work that will bear much fruit. Every boy or girl who touches this gym is a seed”. Francisco Correa, representative of Boxing Bullies, added: “We want to give a space for young people and people from the area where they can develop as individuals and athletes. As we open spaces like this for the youth, we get them off the streets, with new friendships, learning discipline, and a better quality of life. We have several initiatives going on with the WBO. The goal is to continue building throughout the country”. Among the boxers who were present were former world champions Samuel Serrano, Alex “El Nene” Sánchez, and René Santiago; world-ranked Pedro Márquez; rising prospects Omar Pacheco and Pedro Cruz; members of the Trujillo Alto municipal gym, referees Roberto Ramírez Sr., and José H. Rivera; judges César Ruiz and Jerry Martínez, and manager Margaro Cruz. 0 commentsTagsCommentsBe the first to comment.Add CommentAll Boxing ArticlesRead the latest top stories and boxing news This website may contain adult language. TM & © 2025 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. This website may contain adult language TM & © 2025 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved construction work is still going on to replace a bridge destroyed in Hurricane Maria the town of Utuado is finally getting a new bridge over the Viví River to replace the old concrete and steel one that was heavily damaged during the storm and has been closed ever since "This is the main road in and out of town," Héctor Cruz says as a crew uses a crane and other heavy equipment to construct the new bridge Cruz is the director of emergency management in Utuado a community in the highlands of central Puerto Rico massive landslides and downed trees blocked mountain roads cutting the town off from the rest of the island for weeks Many residents have not rebuilt their homes and many roofs are still covered with blue tarps If a hurricane hits Puerto Rico this season and next time the problems will be even worse because many things have not been addressed yet." Rebuilding is going slowly all over the island Congress has allocated some $20 billion to rebuild houses and infrastructure very little of that money has been disbursed social workers in Utuado have gone house-to-house mapping their communities in order to know where the most vulnerable populations live So many residents and communities across the island are getting ready by repairing buildings and homes banding together and doing most of that without a lot of government help "What happened in Maria can happen again," says the director of Puerto Rico's Bureau of Emergency Management But Acevedo says Puerto Rico is much better prepared than it was two years ago The island now has a detailed disaster response plan — something it didn't have when Maria hit "I feel proud of what we've done in Puerto Rico," Acevedo says "I trust that the government response in Puerto Rico to a hurricane would be very different this season from Maria's Acevedo says his agency has placed warehouses around the island stocked with emergency provisions There's a plan for delivering fuel and agreements with utility companies on the mainland to respond quickly to restore power after a disaster Another major improvement is communication All of the island's 78 municipalities now have satellite phones and radios to ensure they won't lose contact with the outside world as they did during Hurricane Maria the main concern is the state of people's homes A Federal Emergency Management Agency assessment found nearly every building in Puerto Rico was damaged by the storm and many say their houses are not safe to shelter in Architect Astrid Díaz (left) talks with Toaville community leader Yarilin Colón about damaged homes in the community "Now we have more than a half-million people affected and we have to build at a minimum 75,000 homes," says Astrid Díaz an architect who was part of a FEMA team that assessed the island's infrastructure Few communities were hit harder during the storm than Toa Baja the government opened the gates of a nearby dam Yarilin Colón is the president of Toaville She says about a third of the homes in her neighborhood are abandoned "I worry about that because they bring in vandalism There are two abandoned homes across the street from my house but the studio on the first floor of her house was destroyed Because she and her husband have a mortgage to pay She has organized her community to rebuild and prepare for the next hurricane "It would be good to get help from the government," she says "But we are not waiting for the government here Her home was heavily damaged and her husband's ice cream truck was destroyed "We haven't seen anything done in Toaville to make us feel safer," she says "The authorities haven't done anything to better channel the river water flow We haven't seen any cleanup of the drain system Her sons and in-laws live in the neighborhood and she says that's what leaves her conflicted about the damaged area the architect who works to build resilient homes and communities "The tradition in Puerto Rico is that generation after generation .. want to live in the same neighborhood," she says "It's very difficult to try to relocate them." The challenge she says is to educate people in places like Toaville that they'll be better off in a neighborhood that is not prone to flooding and others where residents have found little help from the government are taking steps on their own to become more resilient and able to respond to disasters Volunteers at a retirement center in Rio Piedras take part in training to help them recognize and cope with stress and depression that's still a problem two years after Hurricane Maria About an hour's drive southwest of Toa Baja residents have opened a health clinic with help from foundations and charities so as not to be reliant on the island's energy infrastructure in the event of another major storm where many elderly people live who need lots of medical care people had to travel an hour or more for health care The storm made health care even more critical says it took weeks for outside help to arrive Residents here believe the health clinic will help make Mameyes self-sufficient and better able to respond in future disasters volunteers cook and serve meals to be delivered around the neighborhood to disabled and elderly residents "They couldn't afford to eat hot meals or even just buy food." And for many residents is staffed by volunteers who live in the neighborhood they opened the kitchen in an abandoned elementary school says they're negotiating with the government to get the deed to the property "Our plan is to power it on solar," he says so we can continue to provide services to the community" in the event of another big storm The group in Las Carolinas has had help — funding from foundations and charities and guidance from Pablo Méndez an associate professor of environmental health at the University of Puerto Rico Méndez says that like Mameyes and Las Carolinas "Some communities are rising up and not waiting for the support from the government And they now have more confidence in making their own decisions." Mariseli O'Neill Fontana (right) and other volunteers serve food three times a week in Las Carolinas Méndez has been working with 11 communities in Puerto Rico to help them identify their needs and take steps to become more resilient and self-sufficient that have long felt ignored by the government — underserved areas that were hurting before the hurricane They include "a lot of people that are living below the poverty level What the hurricane did was to unveil some of the reality of how Puerto Ricans were living," he says the small city up in the central mountain region of the island things look much better than they did right after the storm People are out in the town's square; stores are open; and the U.S. Puerto Rico and Utuado flags fly outside the colonial-era city hall says: "We will never be fully prepared for a hurricane." Utuado is smaller since the storm after losing about 10% of its population "The important thing here is personal readiness — that you and your family are ready to survive for three weeks or a month without government help." The Puerto Rico flag flies on the beach in Condado that may be the storm's most important message Being prepared means not being dependent on that government help Become an NPR sponsor so residents are collecting water from mountain springs The main north-south road has completely washed out A team of volunteers carried 89-year-old Delia Piñeda and her oxygen tank across first a cracked highway he had been aiding neighbors from Salto Arriba clearing roads with a chainsaw and ferrying disabled residents out on a makeshift stretcher When he found a utility worker who had broken his leg trying to fix electrical lines in the dense jungle struggling to survive without even the most basic necessities at least 13 have died in the strongest hurricane Puerto Rico has seen in 85 years including three elderly bedridden sisters killed by a landslide in Utuado About 70 people had to be evacuated from the town Friday night after the ground under their houses began to give way still sits at the heart of island’s interior mountain region known as La Cordillera Central its name derived from the native Taino word otoao Utuado is surrounded by dense forest of native ceiba, Asian teaks and West Indian and Honduran mahogany where parrots roost There are also massive dams on man-made lakes to the east and west and it wasn’t clear how they had fared after the storm The landscape was what drew people to Utuado where coffee haciendas were built by “black gold” in the 19th century funding the island’s first electric light system run by a hydraulic power plant when plantations shifted to cultivating sugar cane Utuado remains one of Puerto Rico’s top producers of coffee The construction of Highway 10 in recent years opened a gateway to the region cutting the three-hour drive to the capital in half But landslides this week damaged the highway and other major arteries muddy and swollen with downed trees and other debris The 49-bed Metropolitan Hospital of the Mountain was open only for emergencies its four doctors and nine nurses working in shifts to care for about two dozen patients including a man who arrived Friday with a metal roof fragment embedded in his ankle Many elderly people with chronic medical needs couldn’t make it to the hospital due to blocked roads and although there were emergency plans to care for them without phone or internet service it was impossible to know their condition At Utuado’s spare, waterlogged National Guard headquarters, officials attempted to survey damage and prevent further casualties. Among them was Mayor Ernesto Irizarry Salvá who evacuated with his 4-year-old daughter after his roof blew away and his family lost everything The former high school agriculture teacher described those who live in his town of 33,000 as humble going on the AM radio station once it was restored Friday — one of only 70 towns in the area with radio access — to alert them about landslides and other risks He walked across the entire town to ensure people were safe “I need all the people working hard to help restore communications,” he said Safe havens in town that had survived even Hurricane Irma earlier this month had been destroyed by Hurricane Maria including the two-story house where a landslide buried the three elderly Gonzalez sisters The sisters lived across town on a flood-prone street and had moved temporarily to the two-story concrete hillside home before the storm They had done the same before Hurricane Irma had just returned from having an operation on her foot at a hospital Pentecostal evangelicals who mainly ventured out to attend church services Gonzalez said the family had to postpone the funeral procession and burial because his sisters’ bodies remained trapped in the house Friday guarded by police who said they were waiting for heavy equipment to retrieve them it is the same,” he said as he stood outside his concrete ranch house Friday next to the home of a disabled minister who had lost his roof Neighbor Julio Roman was next door when the hillside behind their block gave way Wednesday morning knocking out the sisters’ first-floor window and burying them where they lay on mattresses spread across the concrete floor That was when the mountain hit the back of the house,” he said who was sleeping in a separate room near the front of the house and survived screaming and fleeing to the street where neighbors found her in shock She had tried unsuccessfully to open her sisters’ door But when he entered the house and managed to wedge the bedroom door open His wife tried to tell Hilda Gonzalez what had happened and the couple explained that was impossible The area was cordoned off with yellow police tape Friday and officers said it could be days before the bodies were removed Roman and his family were staying until they ran out of water or were ordered to leave despite the risk that more of the muddy hillside would collapse I’m sure the shelters are packed,” he said Several neighbors were missing after the storm Dayanera Rodriguez came to Roman’s street looking for her missing cousin afraid she might have died in the mudslide Other neighbors used scarce gasoline to drive to a hillside spring where they believed the water was potable carrying it back to their homes in plastic bottles and buckets Those who lived in the surrounding mountains were forced to hike several hours to get water batteries and whatever else they could scavenge from relatives and the few businesses that opened with generator power along with a convenience store near the National Guard command post But McDonald’s and most other businesses in town remained shuttered Among those trapped in the hills accessible only on foot was Maria Gonzalez Soto who had sheltered half a dozen neighbors during the storm They were stuck without water or phone service “We need electricity and water as soon as possible At least we need the emergency services to be able to pass,” she said from her balcony overlooking the road was making her way across the river with her husband and two sons trying to avoid the broken road and make it home with supplies gathered from relatives in town A small crowd had gathered on the other side of the break of the road as darkness fell He had sheltered with his uncle in town during the storm then hiked out Friday to check on his house in the hills More than two dozen small landslides blocked the road which it turned out had suffered only minor damage with flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder who recruits for a local high school equivalency program said it will take years to repair the highway He wasn’t sure how long his community could live without it One of his neighbors is holed up on the other side with 10 people “We have been communicating mountain to mountain by yelling His grandmother had fled about 15 miles north to coastal Arecibo before the storm where she was supposed to have a leg amputated Gonzalez had no way to reach her or his mother “We don’t even know if they’re alive,” he said A neighbor wearing a backpack full of supplies stopped to hug and laugh “We have to celebrate that we are living,” Gonzalez said after they parted We have to struggle to keep living,” he said To read the article in Spanish, click here molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com Twitter: @mollyhf After Hurricane Maria, ‘Puerto Rico isn’t going to be the same’ Failing dam in Puerto Rico triggers evacuations in Maria’s wake as death toll is expected to climb Still reeling from Irma, U.S. Virgin Islanders scramble to evacuate ahead of another hurricane Molly Hennessy-Fiske was a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times from 2006 to 2022 in Houston, Los Angeles, Washington and the Middle East as bureau chief. 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Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map 2022“It was said that [Hurricane] Fiona was not going to go directly through Puerto Rico until it was almost here,” Astrid Cruz-Negrón said.Photograph by Dennis M Rivera Pichardo / APSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyEven before Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico it managed to knock out the island’s fragile electrical grid at a time when Puerto Ricans were marking the thirty-third anniversary of Hurricane Hugo and the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria the destruction came less from wind than from water; some areas in the south saw well over two feet of rain Mudslides inundated roads and rivers overflowed into homes and swept away bridges Hurricanes have repeatedly brought destruction to Utuado a town in the mountains of central Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria washed away a bridge that locals depended on; a temporary bridge replaced it Hurricane Fiona then washed away the temporary bridge an act that seemed symbolic of the short-term fixes and sluggish rebuilding efforts that have plagued the U.S federal recovery funds have mostly gone to emergency response and the vast majority still hasn’t been spent as a member of the city council with the Puerto Rican Independence Party which advocates for Puerto Rico’s independence from the U.S “We had very little time to prepare,” she said “It was said that Fiona was not going to go directly through Puerto Rico until it was almost here.” She added that constituents told her they had evacuated their homes only to find that their regular storm shelters had been closed or relocated Cruz-Negrón’s house regained intermittent power after about a week but by Tuesday hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans were still without electricity and some parts of the island did not have running water She told me about surviving Maria and Fiona and helping to organize “solidarity brigades” to distribute supplies The pressure doesn’t allow you to rest or do other tasks Everyone is attuned to the sound of the winds outside attentive to the projectiles flying around or the rain that is falling—looking through the windows to see what areas of the patio are flooding and removing water from where the roof is leaking You’re also trying to prepare food to keep everyone fed “I am very active in community affairs and I sit on the city council I received many messages from people who were going to a shelter because their houses were flooding When they got to the school that was supposed to be a safe haven I was moving around the house looking for an Internet signal to be able to tell the authorities what was going on The reality is that we get a lot of blackouts you couldn’t really leave the house at all It will take a long time to be able to rebuild because even from Maria we had not rebuilt properly It is as if Hurricane Maria never finished leaving us “Nothing compares with the depressing memory of Maria Utuado is completely green and mountainous but the wind was so powerful that it burned the mountains There were a lot of fallen trees in the roads so people quickly went out and cut paths with machetes and the truth is that people weren’t in the mood to leave the house People did not throw themselves into the street quickly Water has the ability to take anything with it and one has a lot of respect and fear of it Places that we didn’t think were going to flood—well “Being able to really prepare for these emergencies as an individual is There are people who simply survive on what they have in the pantry Some of us have been moving around those communities that are isolated it’s as though you’re in a different country one we don’t see in the urban areas or in the media There was a case of a man who is more than eighty years old who is literally bedridden and cannot stand up or help herself at all The husband should have someone taking care of him he has to change her diapers and give her food through a nasogastric feeding tube All these activities require extreme hygiene—washing your hands in order to handle everything You’re seeing the most dramatic display of inequality I believe that the most serious crisis is not natural what causes the most damage is the fragility of the social system “We don’t trust the privatized electricity-distribution company that the government of Puerto Rico contracted People have been protesting in the streets because they’ve raised the price of electricity several times and their workers do not know our topography “The diesel that many businesses use for their industrial plants is in short supply which is a big concern because it’s also what the water plants use in their generators even in the supplies that are received privately because the government does not regulate things properly “Today there is a distribution of supplies in some communities that the Puerto Rican Independence Party committee has arranged with some students from the University of Puerto Rico This brigade has collected supplies and wants to allocate them all I’m going to take a COVID test because my throat hurts a lot A long-ago crime, suddenly remembered A limousine driver watches her passengers transform The day Muhammad Ali punched me What is it like to be keenly intelligent but deeply alienated from simple emotions? Temple Grandin knows The harsh realm of “gentle parenting.”  Retirement the Margaritaville way Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Thank You for the Light.”  Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker mountainous regions of central Puerto Rico — which are the first areas to lose power and the last to regain it after storms — young people are leaving because outages undermine their ability to work the Microrred de la Montaña project aims to provide resilience with a microgrid that includes existing and upgraded hydroelectric power plus an upgraded distribution network within the boundaries of the towns lower carbon emissions and keep electricity flowing during and after storms for the municipalities of Adjuntas Lares and Utuado — home to many disadvantaged residents — aims in part to help ensure that young residents stay local and thrive in their communities The electric cooperative began this project as an outgrowth of disaster relief efforts While providing medical personnel and supplies after Hurricane Maria Smith realized that access to electricity is just as important as medical response during disasters Without electricity and little ability to travel on destroyed roads dialysis patients could not get access to the services they needed One healthy 18-year-old died after being exposed to toxins that entered water pipes “From there we decided we needed electricity It’s the beginning and end of a chain of resiliency,” said Smith Electricity was important not only for residents’ health but also for the town’s economic activity residents needed cash registers and lights Stabilizing the flow of electricity would help stabilize the economy the project will incorporate hydroelectricity the project partners plan to install solar PV and storage on key resources for each community according to an executive summary of the INL feasibility study existing hydroelectric facilities would be upgraded and expanded from 6 MW to 50 MW Then the Microrred de la Montaña would be created to integrate and manage the resources with energy management and control systems A new 38-kV transmission line would connect the four towns said that more use can be made of the heavy rains that storms bring It’s possible the hydroelectric facilities could be adjusted to handle more rain and generate more electricity we can use more when we have extra rain,” he said “In anticipating an event we could lower the reservoir and use some of that energy and prepare for that water and use it for storage.” the communities will still be connected to the existing electricity system operated by distribution company Luma Energy The microgrid would likely benefit Luma Energy and the island’s utility Payment for the project could come from funds allocated by the U.S government to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria Those funds are being distributed very slowly but it’s expected they’ll become more available soon The project participants used Xendee’s microgrid design platform to analyze different resilience options Xendee looked at cost-effective ways to invest in solar PV batteries and hydropower to meet the communities’ demand ensuring that either full or partial resiliency is guaranteed the microgrid would serve critical community infrastructure during outages With PV and batteries powering the critical loads the electricity cost savings would be 27.8% CO2 emissions would be reduced by 47.9% compared to emissions associated with grid power the project would use utility-scale battery storage The total energy costs would be slightly higher than the partial resiliency scenario but CO2 emissions would be reduced by 48.1% compared to the towns getting power from the main grid To help determine which critical resources would stay powered under the partial resiliency scenario the mayors of the four towns would meet and identify their priorities With the communities participating in the project design and ultimately controlling the power through the co-op residents would have more control — and hopefully decide to stay in town and take advantage of resilient microgrid power “The idea is to build resilience and let the communities take control of their own destiny,” said McJunkin Track news about microgrid innovation in Puerto Rico. Subscribe to the free Microgrid Knowledge Newsletter I focus on the West Coast and Midwest. Email me at [email protected] I’ve been writing about energy for more than 20 years I’m also a former stringer for the Platts/McGraw-Hill energy publications I began my career covering energy and environment for The Cape Cod Times I’ve received numerous writing awards from national including Pacific Northwest Writers Association I first became interested in energy as a student at Wesleyan University where I helped design and build a solar house Linkedin: LisaEllenCohn Facebook: Energy Efficiency Markets Angel Maldonado stands in what’s left of his house in Utuado Photos show how Puerto Ricans are coping in the aftermath of Hurricane MariaPhotographs by Jose Rodrigo Madera for CNNStory by Ray Sanchez Jose Rodrigo Madera's images capture the pain of the Puerto Rico-born photographer as he surveyed the island Hurricane Maria upended The Category 5 storm cut across Puerto Rico like a buzz saw on September 20 knocking out power for nearly all 3.4 million residents “It hasn’t really hit me completely,” Madera said of the devastation I’m starting to worry about the future and security of our country The other day Madera hitched a ride to the picturesque mountain town of Lares He was checking on a report — which turned out to be false — that bodies were uprooted from a cemetery after the storm driving along Highway 111 — which he said resembles a “war zone” — Madera stopped at another mountain town The storm killed several people there and washed away homes leaving residents to survive without the most basic necessities A man named Angel Maldonado was standing on the balcony of what was left of his home where he lived alone A bare bulb hung from a wire strung across his roofless living room Pieces of wood and other debris were strewn about the muddy floor in a purple polo shirt and flowing gray beard People take refuge in Puerto Rico’s convention center in San Juan headquarters for the island’s relief effort is serving as a temporary shelter for some of the thousands of displaced residents volleyball tournaments and occasional concerts housed a couple of hundred residents this week They slept on cots laid out across the shiny concrete floor of a cavernous room Wheelchairs and baby strollers were parked next to some cots A worker with Puerto Rico’s aqueduct authority fills up a water jug in Utuado people across the island are scrambling to find clean water The lack of electrical power has left water pumps and treatment facilities inoperable one of Puerto Rico’s top producers of coffee and fruits a worker with the island’s aqueduct authority distributed water siphoned from a spring people bathed in spring water as some residents trekked along the road with buckets of water over their shoulders “It’s unusual to see that in Puerto Rico,” Madera said People try to connect to the Internet next to a wireless router in San Juan on Monday With wireless carriers struggling to repair communication networks and restore service a week after the storm people have been gathering at rare pockets of cell phone and Internet access to contact family outside the island a fiber-optics company set up an Wi-Fi hotspot where people gather in the hot sun to reach relatives many Puerto Ricans in the United States have still not heard from family on the island A piece of Highway 10 is destroyed in Utuado sections of roads — such as parts of Highway 10 which connects Ponce on the southern coast to Arecibo in the north — are impassable after the storm life for people in remote parts of the island looks to get harder People stand in line to fill up gas cans in San Juan residents have been relying on generators to run appliances like air conditioners people hauling red plastic gas containers begin lining up at gas stations Some wait for hours in lines that stretch for blocks sitting on lawn chairs with umbrellas shielding them from the sun A girl sleeps at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Many of those struggling to survive have headed to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport women and children sleep on steel chairs and terminal floors desperate to catch one of the dozen or so flights that make it out each day People’s damaged belongings are piled up in Utuado on Tuesday Madera came upon a pile of discarded remains of people who lost everything: a broken guitar on a water-damaged mattress; old electric fans; clothing and wooden dressers; a mud-covered computer table “How will our country recover?” said Madera who has covered disasters throughout the Caribbean and Central America Jose Rodrigo Madera is a photographer based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. You can follow him on Instagram. Eric Collazo, a security guard at the Marta Lafontaine elementary and middle school in an isolated corner of this rural community, stares over the edge of a cliff-side road at a house that fell down the mountain. Next to him, black graffiti bleeding over a broken wedge of white stone declares that a family living on the edge of that road has moved to a house nearby. Sixty-one of his school’s 137 students—44 percent—are still absent months after his school reopened in the wake of Hurricane Maria last fall, he said. The school has no electricity, and it operates on a truncated schedule. But Collazo is confident in Marta Lafontaine’s ability to bounce back and stick around, just like the family that escaped death in the house below him. “Hurricane Maria made our kids stronger,” Collazo said. “They’ve learned how to deal with tough situations.” Roughly 45 minutes away, English teacher Migdalia Luciano López works on a half-day schedule at the Bernardo Gonzalez Colon School, on the town of Utuado’s main drag. The school has intermittent power and water. The bathrooms make López cringe. And some students stay home when the school’s lights don’t flick on. Those who do attend often struggle. “They are very distracted. Sometimes when we don’t have power, it’s dark in the classrooms. We don’t have any air conditioning,” López said. “It is hot in the classroom. They don’t concentrate. And it is kind of hard for them.” The two schools are in one of the areas of Puerto Rico hit hardest by the hurricane five months ago. The educators who staff both of them work hard, and carefully, with their students. To get to Marta Lafontaine since Hurricane Maria, Collazo must wend his way along narrow and washed-out roads shielded from the cliff, in some cases, by rough concrete barriers. Traffic workers hold up school buses and other vehicles so others can cross in a single line on the narrow pathways above Lake Coanillas. Workers for Puerto Rico’s power authority scurry back and forth across the dam at the lake, where a spillway drops hundreds of feet. Collazo is an unelected mayor of the roadway, chattering with—and at—many of those who drive or walk past. At Marta Lafontaine, however, the staff stays away from one subject few need reminding of: the storm. “We try to get their minds off the hurricane and into the school,” said Mirelys Bilbraut, a social worker at Marta Lafontaine. “We don’t want to talk to them about the hurricane. That’s past, that’s history. This is a new beginning for us.” A chicken has taken a liking to one of the classrooms one afternoon when Marta Lafontaine is closed. The school’s garden, which featured coffee plants and spinach, is now overgrown even after the resumption of classes. For a while after the hurricane, Collazo said, the school served as a shelter for about 60 people. But the covered basketball court is in good shape, and a small greenhouse still stands. Collazo knows what the school needs most of all, assuming it has power and water. “We need all those people that fled to the United States to come back,” he said. “We love our school.” Yet he’s still anxious. Collazo believes that the Puerto Rico education department wants to keep his school open, but that if it does, it might transfer many teachers to other schools. Marta Lafontaine might live on, but in a shrunken state. Officially, the majority of students and teachers who left after Maria have come back to Bernardo Gonzalez Colon from places like Florida and Texas, according to López, who said there are 321 students and 29 teachers at the school. Compared with counterparts in other rural areas, the school is lucky because it has power. A few blocks away, there’s a busy Walgreen’s, a gas station, and Utuado’s National Guard outpost. And across the river, power lines that were lying by the roadside in early October had been put back up by late January. But classes are now just half an hour, which means the teachers assign less homework and approach the coursework differently. They try to get some of their work done at home, assuming they have power themselves. López worries about where things are headed. “We are falling a little bit behind,” she said. She adds that the load on teachers is heavy because they struggle with their own difficulties at home: “If you ask every single one of the teachers in Puerto Rico right now, they’re going to tell you that, yes, we’re kind of burned out. We have difficulties like every other person.” Like Marta Lafontaine, López’s school served in the Maria recovery effort. Bernardo Gonzalez Colon staff members helped prepare hundreds of meals in their cafeteria for people in another Utuado school, Judith A. Vivas, that served as a temporary shelter. López tries to take a gentle approach with her students. “We help them, and we listen to them, and we give them love,” she said. “I think that’s what really matters right now—not to push them too hard, but try to do our best.” A version of this article appeared in the February 14, 2018 edition of Education Week as A Pair of Rural Schools Struggle Back in Puerto Rico We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. It marked the most significant attempt at armed revolution in Puerto Rico since the late nineteenth century who’s written extensively on the uprising is the sixtieth anniversary of the 1950 independence revolt in Puerto Rico by the island’s Nationalist Party you’ve been writing a lot about this uprising and I think that the — it is a little-known incident in US history or the history of the United States empire but it really remains one of the defining moments in the island of Puerto Rico’s history the events leading up to it are important to understand that in 19—- this is in the post-World War II period as many of the countries that were coming out of World War II were forced by the events of having to win the war to begin granting independence or autonomy to their colonies — England to the Commonwealth to India and all of its other colonies; France to its overseas colonies; and the United States attempted after World War II to claim that Puerto Rico had been granted autonomy but the island is still ruled by the United States and by Congress and is militarily occupied so that the Nationalist Party was part of this anti-colonial movement of the ’40s and ’50s the Nationalists rise up against the United States in a planned insurrection It actually started a couple of nights before when some Puerto Rican police intercept a caravan of Nationalists And the Nationalists immediately decide it’s time to revolt Congress had passed what’s known as Law 600 ordering that the Puerto Rican people have a referendum on a new constitution And that referendum was to take place the following year and voter registration for that referendum was to begin on November 4th and 5th of 1950 So the Nationalists saw this referendum as illegitimate and they began the uprising first with a planned prison uprising in the main prison in Puerto Rico as a hundred inmates broke free from the prison and then with revolts in about eight cities in Puerto Rico That’s why it’s called the Revolt of Jayuya the Puerto Rican government had already adopted a law to muzzle the Nationalists which made it a crime to even advocate independence or the overthrow of US rule in Puerto Rico Two towns were bombed by the National Guard: Jayuya and Utuado The Nationalists attacked the governor’s mansion They burned down a couple of police precincts is that since communication was cut off from the island very few people in the United States knew what was going on A couple of Nationalists in New York City decided to make an armed attack to attempt to assassinate President Truman — Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola — on November 1st went — traveled to Washington and attempted to shoot Truman at the Blair House Oscar Collazo was captured and eventually spent about twenty-five years in prison in terms of being able to achieve Puerto Rican independence And Muñoz Marín tried to play it down as just a few extremists But because of the attempt on Truman’s life mass arrests occurred over the next few days on the island Anybody who had any kind of political leanings toward independence or was seen as a leader was thrown into jail it was impossible for supporters of independence to get jobs in the government It really was an enormous repression and crackdown that occurred in the years following was involved first in a standoff in his own home in San Juan before he was arrested and sent back to prison He had already spent ten years in federal prison for conspiracy to overthrow the American government He’s sent back to prison now and pretty much stayed in prison or in a hospital between 1950 and 1965 So that the revolt failed to achieve Puerto Rican independence there’s still a legacy of that revolt that people really are not aware of The fact is that Albizu Campos and the Nationalist Party represented The reality is that today — what are we 112 years after the United States occupied Puerto Rico — the Puerto Rican people still speak Spanish as their language in their public schools even though they are United States citizens they still conduct their courts in the Spanish language and they still have a firm sense of their nationhood and of their existence as a people and there’s still an enormous sense of nationhood in Puerto Rico and even among those who support statehood for the island So I think the legacy of the Nationalists sixty years later is that there’s still a Puerto Rican nation remains a people that see themselves distinct from the colonial power that still rules over the island And I think that that is the biggest — the biggest legacy of the Nationalist Party still to this day even though the revolt has long been forgotten by most people in the United States is a very important history of Latinos in the United States and should be read by everyone I think one of the best histories of this whole period And it is really the legal history of what happened in that period of time families in the rural Puerto Rican community of Río Abajo improvised their way out of Maria’s destruction they still have few resources to rely on but themselves The residents of Río Abajo call themselves the “Community of the Forgotten.” Tucked away in a mountainous hamlet of Utuado Río Abajo was particularly devastated by Hurricane María As the category-five hurricane made landfall in the eastern municipality of Yabucoa the strengthening wind and rain destroyed not only cars and businesses but also the bridge that connected Río Abajo to the central town of Utuado the citizens of Río Abajo realized that they were on their own With the help from neighbors on the other side they developed a pulley system across the river to survive their new situation—transporting food to residents and oxygen tanks to the elderly They eventually strengthened the pulley system enough to carry people back and forth across the river After two months of this makeshift existence Army Corps of Engineers stripped down the remnants of the bridge and constructed a temporary path for families to cross the river by car I visited Río Abajo to celebrate Three Kings Day an island-wide holiday that celebrates the visit of the three wise men to newly born Jesus Christ Amid the church services and distribution of presents to children community leaders expressed their disgust with their abandonment their consternation was directed not just at the federal government but also at their local representatives They were particularly frustrated that their local mayor who did not visit them until a month after María’s passing Both responses from the federal and local government were lacking yet the betrayal of one’s own local government was more acutely felt the Río Abajo families still have to contend with lack of water and electrical power They don’t expect to get either soon As the kids convened around presents and homemade sandwiches when I visited in January the adults discussed how the hurricane has united them as a family in the absence of resources and aid from external sources Each and every one of them were forgotten by the authorities yet they were reminded that among themselves they are not alone Elena Céspedes is a senior at Georgetown University from Guaynabo A firefighter takes a moment of rest between combatting a fire in Utuado (Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco/Latino Rebels) “The Utuado volcano woke up,” people were saying They had never seen a fire like it there before a burly man who used to work as a civilian diver for the U.S spent the four days that the fire raged roaming the area behind his house The fire had reportedly burned for at least a week on the other side of the mountain before it spread to the trees behind his house where he lives with his family of four and their three dogs “I spend most of my afternoons walking up and down the forest—or at least I used to,” Nevárez Pérez told me as we watched columns of smoke swirl up over a forest canopy that had once been various shades of green but had become a mottled mess of black A National Guard Black Hawk helicopter had just dropped a torrent of water on a spot that was too difficult for firefighters to reach by foot The National Guard helicopter carries a Bambi Bucket full of water to dump on the fire in Utuado I had accompanied four firefighters from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) the day before as they cut their way through thick brush He said he felt a rush of adrenaline while cutting the fire line a foot-wide path dug down to the mineral soil that is meant to stop fire from advancing by depriving it of the vegetation it feeds on In the thick of the forest a gust of wind hit the smoke stopping us in our tracks and blinding us for a few minutes as  they can carry embers to areas previously unaffected or relight areas that were already extinguished at which point firefighting becomes a lopsided game of cat and mouse his shirt was covered with heavy streaks of soot pumping as much water as they could over the flames Two small earthquakes had produced the shaking neighbors reported “I’m not staying here again until the fire is completely out,” said Awilda Álvares Villanueva a court secretary and Nevárez’s wife She stood on the porch where she and her daughter had spent the last few days anxiously watching the firefighters move to and fro José Nevárez Pérez walks through the smoke caused by the fire behind his house in Utuado The elderly and people with breathing problems are most at risk from inhaling wildfire smoke and even make people more prone to heart attacks Plus smoke clouds are filled with cancer-causing substances The week before, Canadian wildfires burned an area twice the size of New Jersey causing an apocalyptic yellow cloud to descend over much of the East Coast forcing people to remain indoors to avoid the unsafe air or venture outside wearing the same masks they wore during the COVID pandemic with an average global temperature measured at 61.16 degrees Fahrenheit National Centers for Environmental Prediction By Thursday the average temperature had risen to 63.01 degrees Fahrenheit Nevárez’s family did not have air conditioning so their options were to leave the windows shut and bake inside or open them and hope an occasional breeze swept through and soon everything they owned was covered in ash the house they had been renting for 10 months smelling like charred barbeque They had been considering buying the house but the fire made them think twice—especially if a similar fire could happen again “It wasn’t common to hear about forest fires in Puerto Rico and now it’s become common,” explained Rafael Méndez Tejeda a member of the Puerto Rico Climate Change Council and the director of the Center for Multidisciplinary Investigations at the University of Puerto Rico-Carolina adding that heat waves “will become almost normal during the summer.” Between 1950 and 2014, Puerto Rico’s average temperature rose by about 36.03 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study conducted by Méndez Tejeda There have been approximately 2,500 forest fires in Puerto Rico so far this year, nearly the same number as in all of 2022 and more than double the number in 2017 and 2021 witnessed some of the highest totals ever recorded While some evidence points to fires being sparked by spontaneous combustion the great majority are caused by human hands caused by a cigarette butt in the wrong place at the right time or farmhands wanting to clear a field through burns can spread to endanger communities especially when there’s a heat wave or drought Available data does not clearly specify the rate of increase in the number of wildfires in Puerto Rico since the start of the century, but Méndez Tejeda says that fires have certainly become more frequent. Current data also shows that current relative and absolute conditions will likely yield an increase in fire occurrence and size “We’re definitely going to see more violent and it’s going to be a phenomenon that affects all of Puerto Rico,” Lt Joel Figueroa Betancourt told me over the phone from California He remembers fighting the fires in previous years “where we had never seen them before.” Wildfires mostly affect the southern region which is much drier than other parts of Puerto Rico Peak wildfire season begins in January and lasts about 18 weeks the drought season lasts from December to March plus a midsummer dry period during June and July and global heating have caused these dry spells to become more extreme and for wildfires to burn mostly year-round At present, much of northern and western Puerto Rico is under an excessive heat advisory. Such advisories have become an almost daily occurrence for some municipalities, leading their residents to hope for a light rainstorm to assuage the heat but not cause damage. Many worry though that they could see a repeat of 2022, where the drought was “fixed” by Hurricane Fiona which dumped so much rain on the archipelago that it caused unprecedented amounts of flooding Droughts, which Puerto Rico has been experiencing a lot more over the past few decades, are a significant contributor to forest fires throughout the archipelago. At the same time as the fire blazed in Utuado more than 34 percent of Puerto Rico was abnormally dry and more than five percent was experiencing drought Firefighter Ivan Torres poses for a picture while putting out embers in Utuado which was only subdued by a small series of rainstorms Harsh droughts have affected millions of Puerto Ricans over the last two decades causing water rationing as well as a state of emergency in 2020 we’ll see more frequent and propagation of extreme fire events,” said Ian Colón Pagán a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Puerto Rico as it can show how vulnerable an area is to wildfires as well as how much water firefighters will need to dump on a fire Unlike parts of North America with highly combustible pine forests that habitually catch fire Much of the vegetation that catches fire in Puerto Rico is low to the ground Fires typically spread through the undergrowth only slowly spreading to the trees above it And forest fires and heat waves do not just affect people While walking with the DRNA firefighters through the forest and hearing the crackle of flames —which they call “ranitas,” since they sound like jumping frogs— one firefighter said she worries about the more than dozen species of frogs and lizards that would be affected by the fire “We’re not going to hear the coquís for a long time,” said Nevárez’s daughter Natalia from the porch referring to the small frog that is Puerto Rico’s unofficial national animal known for its unique high-pitched call that serenades Puerto Ricans every night Natalia says she picked up a badly burned coquí and moved it to the other side of the fire break A recent study found that warmer temperatures fueled by climate change have led coquís to move further up the mountains, causing them to grow smaller and have a higher pitch. If trends continue, the increase in temperature could cause the collapse of the coquí population altogether, Sebastian Meenderink, who studies the coquí, told the Guardian Battered by storms, earthquakes, overtourism, and now fires, Puerto Rico can’t seem to catch a break. As the effects of climate change intensify across the Caribbean it will only lead to more extreme weather events that will in turn force Puerto Ricans out of the places they once considered “safe” and make many reconsider their life plans just like the fire behind their house made the Nevárez family reconsider their plans to buy the house that now has layers of scorched earth behind it Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco is the Caribbean correspondent for Latino Rebels, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twitter: @Vaquero2XL Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Four weeks after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to team up with its federal partners to bring food and aid across the island Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Orlando Baez ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter with HSI special agents from San Juan’s and New Orleans’ Special Response Teams (SRT) and CBP’s Air & Marine Operations (AMO) interdiction agents This mission was to bring food and water to Utuado a section of the island that has been cut off from main roads since Hurricane Maria A member of the National Guard was there as well with not many locations near the population to land with supplies half of the bridge connecting the main road to the community was completely washed away by the surging river The CBP helicopter landed on a riverbank close to the community so special agents could ascend up the side of the hill to a location where residents waited to greet them It is here that SAC Baez was able to speak with members of the community and ask about their needs in this area He asked them about their need for supplies or if anyone in the community required medical attention or wanted to leave to a shelter Because of the difficulty to transport goods from the riverbank the CBP helicopter circled overhead to find a better place to land in order to be able to distribute supplies A water treatment facility was found further up the hill drove up the muddy hillside to retrieve the supplies HSI special agents are able to enter these remote areas to bring water and food into the communities The cooperation among federal agencies during this trying time in Puerto Rico allows us to be both efficient and effective in this recovery effort,” said SAC Baez and the support from the communities we serve that we can continue to be successful in our daily missions.” With multiple loads being dropped in Utuado Community members lined up with SAC Baez and the SRT special agents in a unified effort to unload supplies from the chopper The goods were loaded into cars and brought to a local church that is used as a distribution center The supplies were provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) This mission supported the distribution of more than 4000 liters of water and more than 1000 individual meals After Puerto Rico’s biggest hurricane ravaged the island Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers are more than a month into recovery efforts providing security for doctors and others who are part of the humanitarian efforts on the island as well as bringing meals to communities and water and food to remote areas of the island HSI special agents from Special Response Teams (SRT) and Rapid Response Teams (RRT) who have been temporarily assigned to the recovery efforts set off on a helicopter early Thursday to distribute food and water to those in locations too remote or inaccessible for trucks Special agents boarded a contracted plane to first pick up supplies at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba It is here that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) organizes the distribution of food while National Guard reservists assist with the loading of the goods HSI special agents offer both security and distribution assistance at the drop off locations a town on the south east coast of Puerto Rico The helicopter landed in a baseball field which was surrounded by debris and downed trees that still hadn’t been removed The roads would not give way to a delivery truck so nearby pallets of food and water were brought to the town where lines of people waited for distribution Special agents also ensured that those who were unable to leave their homes for supplies received them by bringing the water and food to their door “The path of destruction that Hurricane Maria had left in its wake was devastating to the island But I have witnessed the true meaning of resilience in the Puerto Rican people and I have felt it in the tireless efforts of the men and women of ICE over the past few weeks,” said Orlando Baez acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan “I also applaud the continued cooperation between federal state and local agencies in this recovery effort which has allowed us to help those who need it most.” HSI special agents were also able to bring supplies to Caonillas Arriba a mountainous community which has been very difficult to reach with anything other than a helicopter; the landing strip is a front yard and the distribution center is a home Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents from San Juan and Rapid Response Team (RRT) members from Boston HSI teamed up with the Departamento de la Familia and attorneys from the Department of Justice in San Juan for this mission They also escorted doctors from a San Juan hospital to offer well checks to the people of the town HSI special agents picked-up food from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico where a group of volunteers led by Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen created thousands of hot and cold meals daily They loaded the trays of hot food and packages of fruit and water into the vehicles all to be transported nearly two hours southeast to a Humacao community center people lined the bleachers and children played games set up around the area the people of Humacao welcomed the special agents and guests with warm smiles Water and food was unloaded and tables were set up for service side by side with attorneys and social workers “HSI special agents have been working diligently every day since Maria hit the island And each time they enter these towns that were ravaged by the hurricane and meet the people it is another reminder that this recovery effort the Departamento de la Familia offered more food and supplies HSI special agents managed the lines and handed out the boxes for every family present This mission supported the distribution of hot food fruit and other household supplies to nearly 500 Humacao residents Hurricane Harvey was one of the most devastating storms to hit the United States as record-breaking rainfall tormented Southeast Texas for days displacing thousands and causing more than 30 deaths to date U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deployed approximately 200 law enforcement personnel from Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and Special Response Teams (SRTs) around the country to provide security for search and rescue teams and to assist with search and rescue operations Los Angeles and Tampa are already participating in search and rescue and security operations Puerto Rico and remaining personnel of NCR are on standby About a dozen additional non-law enforcement ICE employees are also on their way to Texas as members of the U.S Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Surge Capacity Force (SCF) to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with hurricane relief efforts ICE anticipates that several dozen more employees will eventually be deployed ICE’s highest priorities are to promote life-saving and life-sustaining activities the safe evacuation of people who are leaving the impacted area the maintenance of public order and the prevention of the loss of property to the extent possible OPA will provide regular updates that will highlight ICE’s efforts in ensuring the speedy recovery of the region As a result of a call for help from a fellow HSI employee the HSI Tampa Rapid Response Team (RRT) rescued several people trapped by rising waters outside of Beaumont a HSI San Antonio technical enforcement officer reached out to several people to find help for his parents His call reached HSI Tampa Group Supervisor Ritchie Flores who is currently deployed as part of a 13-member RRT out of central and northern Florida As Pitts found out a local levee had failed and water was rising the Tampa RRT team moved quickly to the area by boat and rescued Pitt’s parents and their neighbors “I won’t ever be able to thank them enough for their selfless actions which resulted in saving numerous families,” said Pitts in an email to SAC Spero my parents would not have been able to get out They deserve every ounce of praise that can be bestowed upon them Also during the course of the rescue operations Customs and Border Protection port director to safety after the Fannett Fire Department rescued him from his flooded home The team is comprised of HSI special agents and HSI support personnel and is designed to quickly deploy during natural and manmade disasters local or state agencies request ICE law enforcement assistance reflects their mission in that they are operational 24 hours a day and are always prepared to deploy to an affected area within 12 to 24 hours HSI Rapid Response Team members are trained to deploy nationwide to support recovery from natural and manmade disasters or other similar events in which law enforcement and humanitarian support may be requested or required The training includes instruction in first aid defensive tactics and disaster response training The training culminates in multiple practical exercises simulating a broad range of disaster response-related scenarios ICE support personnel provide Harvey and Maria relief Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Rapid Response Teams started in tandem with recent hurricanes Harvey and Maria Almost immediately as Hurricane Harvey struck in August meticulously trained law and non-law enforcement ICE employees prepared to do battle with the first major hurricane to strike south Texas since 1970 Employees earned the praise of ICE Acting Director Thomas D “I’m extremely proud of the men and women of ICE who have stepped up to provide life-saving assistance to those in need.” mission support specialist with Homeland Security Investigations joined his local Rapid Response Team as a way to help others while realizing the team’s motto of “anytime He described the harsh conditions on the ground “The streets were flooded with rising floodwaters there was no power or running water and the constant danger that a chemical plant could explode.” One of the team’s biggest challenges proved to be the standing water “Just navigating our vehicles through the streets became a major challenge We worked with Harris and Jefferson County Emergency Management Operation Centers to map our way into Texas as well as scouting roads to determine the best routes to travel,” Stack said Stack’s team assisted with rescues and welfare checks and helped organize the 24-hour evacuation at Jack Brook’s Regional Airport supported Hurricane Harvey from the Travel Service Center in Winchester She continues to make it possible for ICE and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees to travel to the disaster site in Texas by creating travel authorizations and vouchers Her motivation for joining the Rapid Response Team comes from personal experience “I have friends and family that were affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said DeAngelis “I saw the terrible devastation in New Jersey and how FEMA assisted them in recovering I wanted to help others recover during this horrible disaster.” talking to survivors on the phone and locating resources for assistance “We focus on tasks which are re-prioritized hour to hour,” he said is to extend understanding hearts in hearing their stories.” Some ICE volunteers are not at disaster sites work in the logistics department at the FEMA Joint Field Office They share driving responsibilities as they traverse more than 450 miles per day delivering critical communication supplies like printers They observe much from the road; “Texas is a flat state along the coast and the reality is that not much land escaped damage,” said Fletcher “There are still towns with no electricity and power lines lying on the ground.” Their challenges prove both personal and practical is trying not to spend too much time talking with the survivors,” said Fletcher I have to be mindful about the time and how long it takes to get my work done.” Stack does not doubt the resiliency of the Texas people; “The Texans are strong people I spoke with many who had lost everything yet their spirits were good; they are very determined to get back to their homes and rebuild I can’t say enough good things about the many local community volunteers that worked tirelessly throughout the storm to assist victims and first responders.” Fletcher agrees the folks of Texas are not victims “Texans are a resilient breed; they've lost their homes prized possessions and despite the humidity they've pulled their boots on and are hard at work cleaning They stand proud as they encourage one another every day.” the worst storm to hit Puerto Rico in a century paid a visit to the island in September with winds reaching speeds of 155 miles per hour. ICE mobilized Rapid Response Teams from Tampa Arizona and New York to assist those facing dangerous conditions in the aftermath of the storm The ICE Homeland Security Investigations Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program employs highly-skilled veterans who fight online child exploitation using their law enforcement and computer forensic skills deployed for a 21-day rotation from Tampa and Orlando was to ensure the safety of all residents of Puerto Rico and their families who reside in Puerto Rico to ensure life-essential needs were provided computer forensic analyst and Army veteran After confirming his parents were unharmed and helping them get safely to temporary housing Cruz and the rest of the Team began delivering food and water providing power tools and clearing debris from living areas The Team worked to find much needed medicine and the refrigeration to store it and provided temporary access to satellite phones to residents so they could contact family members Department of Homeland Security components worked seamlessly together for the good of the territory ICE and FEMA partnered with a local chef to deliver hot food to elderly homes Customs and Border Patrol evacuated stranded Puerto Rico residents by air and reunited them with family members on the U.S “The Island was devastated by this hurricane,” said Cruz if you had a wooden house with a tin roof; the roof is gone The flooding ranged from less than an inch to up to eight feet.” computer forensic analyst and Marine Corps veteran treated the mission like any other military deployment in the past “The reality of the situation on the ground didn’t have the shock appeal to me that it did to some people,” he said “I’ve been on combat and humanitarian missions in the past; I was familiar with the chaos of the situation.” The Team provided help to people as needed “We made sure our presence was impactful in a positive way,” said Volpicella “Whether that meant we provided a bottle of water as a thank you to a police officer directing traffic or by cutting down a tree for a family so they could have a clear path “It blew me away that every person we stopped to ask for directions was willing to help us everyone was willing to help us get to where we needed to go “Every single person we encountered helped us.” One of the bridges in Utuado completely collapsed as a result of Hurricane Fiona SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP, in Spanish) informed that 16 bridges suffered damage after Hurricane Fiona struck but a Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI in Spanish) investigation found that this number is wrong and that nine bridges had their strength and stability seriously or severely affected prior to the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico on September 18 The CPI asked the DTOP where and which bridges were damaged because of Hurricane Fiona and the agency sent a list that refers to only 16 bridges and eight ways to access those structures a CPI review of videos and images published in the media and on social networks shows that the list that the government provided is incomplete The data that the CPI obtained indicates that there are dozens of bridges that collapsed or were undermined because of Fiona and that the DTOP did not include in the CPI’s request for information Some of these bridges are located on municipal roads as was the case of the crossing bridge in the Guaraguao sector in Bayamón The crossings are small road structures that are built on shallow bodies of water Fiona only affected three bridges in Yabucoa and one bridge in each of the municipalities of Arecibo According to the DTOP, in Utuado only one bridge on PR-6104 was affected, which according to the agency is the structure that collapsed with the flooding of the Río Grande de Arecibo, whose images went viral. Because of Fiona, in Utuado, of the 65 bridges and fords in Utuado, there are 44 bridges that need repairs It is not the first time that the DTOP and its Highways and Transportation Authority (ACT, in Spanish) withheld information about the bridges affected by the onslaught of a hurricane, especially those located on roads under municipal jurisdiction. In 2020, the CPI won an access to information case in which it asked the ACT for a list of bridges closed or affected by Hurricane María in September 2017 Back then, the agency admitted in court that the list initially provided to the CPI did not contain all the bridges and that it had to add those municipal bridges that the CPI found in its independent search The collapse of a part of the bridge in Sector La Charca caused the inability of families to communicate The list of bridges affected by Hurricane María that the ACT gave the CPI included only 32, even though a report financed by the federal government and signed by DTOP in 2018 indicated that 388 bridges were reported as having damage as a consequence of the storm which represented an omission of 356 structures National Bridge Inventory identifies seven bridges in Puerto Rico from that list of 16 bridges informed by DTOP as having “strength and/or stability of the bridge seriously affected” and two with “strength and/or stability of the bridge severely compromised.” Most of these bridges affected by Fiona are located on road PR-3 and were already classified as “scour critical” before the hurricane the two bridges deemed as “severely compromised” are on road PR-3 in Naguabo In the case of the seven bridges that were “seriously affected” before Fiona two of which are on PR-3 and one on PR-182 The other three bridges with their stability seriously affected are located on: PR-3 in Humacao **Bridges whose structure is severely compromised because of their classification as scour critical this bridge was classified as “seriously affected” and scour critical This structure was not part of DTOP’s list of bridges affected by Fiona According to data from the National Highway Administration, only 17.4 percent of the bridges in Puerto Rico are in good condition. Of the island’s 2,335 bridges 410 are identified as being in good condition while 312 are identified as being in poor condition The CPI asked the ACT if there was a monitoring plan for the bridges classified with a status of “serious condition” and “critical condition” prior to Hurricane Fiona according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s standards the ACT was asked if there is a plan to work with these bridges that are in a state of critical undermining which is when the foundations of a bridge are weakened Neither the ACT Bridge Management Office nor any agency official answered any of the questions According to the Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory report a bridge whose “stability is seriously affected” needs “frequent monitoring,” “load restrictions,” and “corrective actions.” Bridges with “severely compromised stability” need “significant load restraints,” and if not properly monitored Structural Civil Engineer Félix Rivera Arroyo believes that while a bridge in “serious condition” may still be used it is essential that the government constantly monitor it specifically the weight of the vehicles passing over it It should constantly be monitoring and setting up monitoring stations to see if there is any kind of movement of the foundation of the bridge so that the situation doesn’t worsen,” Rivera Arroyo told the CPI who also chairs the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico’s (CIAPR expressed concern about the permanence of several temporary bridges that were built more than two years ago to replace those structures that collapsed or were destroyed after Hurricane María in 2017 one of the bridges that completely collapsed after Fiona’s was the temporary structure located in the Salto Arriba in Utuado which had been installed four years ago at a cost of $762,800 But it’s now five years after María,” the engineer said Puerto Rico’s current Construction Code establishes that the reference standard for the construction of bridges is the 100-year flood recurrence interval This return period refers to the estimated time in which a storm with a given number of inches of rain is expected to occur in a region The 100-year flood recurrence interval implies that that event should occur once every 100 years Although the number of inches of rain associated with the 100-year event varies by municipality and region in Puerto Rico there were places where approximations to those amounts were reported when we take it to three days [after Hurricane Fiona] A 50 [year event in that area] is 27.7 inches It was two inches short of being a one-in-100-year event,” climatologist José Javier Hernández Ayala explained to the CPI The researcher from Sonoma State University in California pointed out that in areas of Caguas inches of rain fell equal to a 200-year return period while in sectors of Utuado there were amounts associated with a 50-year rain event associate professor at Sonoma State University “Only five years passed between María and Fiona What we’re seeing is that in return periods of extreme rainfall and river discharge what used to be a one-in-100-year event is now a one-in-50 now it’s one in every 20,” said Hernández Ayala referring to the fact that there were places where these extreme rain events occurred In the 19 years between Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Hurricane Maria in 2017, rainfall events equivalent to a 500-year return period were reported up to 20 inches of rain were recorded during Georges in areas of Caguas which corresponds to the inches expected in a rain event once every 500 years This frequency of extreme weather events should be a reason not only to reevaluate the averages of rain that are currently associated with different rain return periods but also to change the current standard in bridge construction “An analysis of the entire island is needed to identify where the most significant river discharges are happening how they are behaving in terms of their magnitude how often these extreme events are occurring and perhaps we can design [the bridges] for the worst case scenario Perhaps the area that is most in need of more robust and resilient infrastructure is in Utuado but if we use those parameters and apply them to the entire island one would think that other [bridge] areas [can] be protected,” said the also collaborator of the Puerto Rico Climate Change Experts and Advisors Committee Engineer Rivera Arroyo agreed with climatologist Hernández Ayala’s proposal as to the changes in the standards for bridge construction in Puerto Rico Rivera Arroyo represents the CIAPR in the committee that evaluates the changes to the Puerto Rico Construction Code Rivera Arroyo said the new version of the Code should be ready between February and March 2023 One of its proposals will be to change the bridge construction standard so that it is based on rainfall that responds to the return period of 200 years This proposal is based on the acknowledgment that extreme rainfall events in Puerto Rico are becoming more frequent “We have the power to revise the Code that we use In the 2018 [Construction Code] the 100 years are mentioned given the situation and conditions that we have but [amending it] will help deal with future events,” said Rivera Arroyo who warned that construction costs will increase with the changes to the Code The ACT has signed contracts and amendments for almost $218 million under the category of Road Construction and Repair in 2022 according to the Office of the Comptroller (OCPR Those contracts include works on the bridge over the Yagüez River and on the bridges between Sabana Grande and Guánica improvements to the bridge over the Guanajibo River on PR-2 in San Germán replacement of the bridge over the stream on PR-3 in Ceiba improvements to the bridge on PR-681 in Toa Alta and preservation work on a bridge in Utuado on PR-10 between km 39.60 and 39.10 There was also the rehabilitation of a cable of the suspension bridge over the La Plata River between the municipalities of Naranjito and Toa Alta The ACT also signed about 10 contracts that extend the term of several projects to be carried out in bridges through 2024 instead of amending the original contract to extend the term the public corporation wrote up a new contract with a different number which corresponds to a project assigned between five and 10 years ago and whose project completion period has expired The extension of the term to complete projects whose original contracts expired a long time ago is not exclusive to bridge works but also to other types of projects on public roads the ACT signed a contract to extend to L.P.C.&D which was assigned in 2003 and whose validity was until 2014 The contract signed in September 2022 shows that the project is done or substantially finished but that there is an outstanding amount of $339,010 and it is necessary to extend the agreement for two more years due to the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic this contractor has had control of the projects on the Comerío highway for 19 years The ACT’s contract registry shows agreements under the category of Construction and Repairs of roads that have dozens of change orders that have increased the original amount of the contracts by millions the ACT signed amendment number 63 to a contract awarded in March 2012 to contractor L.P.C.&D The change orders establishing these amendments added $5.5 million to the original contract of $14.4 million the ACT approved amendment number 56 to a contract that it awarded to Ferrovial Agroman in March 2014 for improvements to PR-18 and PR-21 The amendments added $1.7 million to the original $16.1 million contract that originally expired in 2017 the ACT awarded 20 emergency contracts to address the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona in the five regions—north With master contracts for $200,000 and $400,000 the projects were distributed among 20 contractors by geographic region Agreements have already been signed with eight companies to serve the northern region and one for the San Juan metropolitan area US President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to provide $550 billion between 2022 and 2026 for projects such as roads The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act aspires to “repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation including cyclists and pedestrians.” Reporter Wilma Maldonado Arrigoitía contributed to this story Here’s a look inside one.What really mattersIn a world with too much noise and too little context We don’t flood you with panic-inducing headlines or race to be first We focus on being useful to you — breaking down the news in ways that inform We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today The last days of Paso Palmas — one of nearly 300 schools that Puerto Rico is closing permanently by Alexia Fernández Campbell and Rebecca Kiger Photographs by Rebecca Kiger Link“A community without a school .. is a vacant community,” said Verónica Dávila a second-grade teacher in rural Puerto Rico “It’s actually a dead community.” Dávila is a teacher at Paso Palmas, a school that has taught children in the remote area of Utuado for more than 70 years — and that closed its doors for good this June. The school is one of nearly 300 in Puerto Rico that are shutting down permanently this summer because of the island’s dire economic situation Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico and hit Utuado especially hard It took two months to reopen Paso Palmas after the storm and the school remained without water and had only limited electricity from a generator which took the Federal Emergency Management Agency seven months to provide as about a dozen students and their families left the area after Maria The school had barely managed to restore a sense of normalcy when families found out that Paso Palmas was on the list of school closures In April, the government listed 283 schools that would close down permanently in June. After a government review, that number was revised down to 265. (A judge on Wednesday ordered the government to stop the closure of nine more schools.) Puerto Rico owes more than $70 billion to creditors and filed for bankruptcy-like protection a few months before Maria hit — the largest government bankruptcy in US history It’s unclear how many schools were already on the chopping block before Hurricane Maria made landfall in September and inflicted an estimated $90 billion worth of damage to the island. In the wake of the hurricane, enrollment dropped as families fled to the US mainland after Maria In all, about a quarter of the island’s schools are shutting down, displacing around 60,000 students The closings reflect the largest wave of spending cuts to K-12 public education in Puerto Rico’s history — about $1.5 billion in the next six years Now children and their families whose schools will be closed face the burden of finding a school to attend in the fall Students at Paso Palmas are in this predicament The distance between Paso Palmas and the closest school is a 40-minute drive along difficult roads — not counting the walk several students make each morning to reach a road passable by car Some families don’t have cars or money for gasoline The restructuring of the school system marks the end of an era for children in schools like Paso Palmas Parental involvement has been an integral part of the school community Many parents walk their children to school Many who graduated from the school later return to volunteer there the community involved — it totally gets lost once they’re out of here,” said María Arriaga a community member who volunteers at the school “We are mourning the upcoming closure of our little school It’s inconceivable what they’re doing with the well-being of our children.” Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day Auto workers supported tariffs to protect their jobs The most surprising consequence of Trump’s trade war Today, Explained podcastMay 4Love on the Spectrum stars call on RFK Jr. to resignTwo cast members of the hit Netflix reality TV show on what the HHS secretary misunderstands about autism The Gray AreaMay 3Did our politics fail us during Covid?Political scientist Frances Lee examines the “noble lies” and truth-seeking failures of the pandemic. Yes, it’s radical. But no, it’s not on the cusp of becoming law. Petroglyphs on the stone monoliths at Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report stated that the bill in question centered on a highway expansion and not simply a transfer of ownership The Puerto Rico Senate is preparing to vote on a joint resolution that threatens to privatize sacred Indigenous lands in Puerto Rico according to a group of activists and Indigenous leaders RCS 45 seeks to transfer control of the Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site, home to 10 Taíno ceremonial ball courts, known as bateyes from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture to the municipality of Utuado itself The resolution would transfer the “administration and maintenance” of the site over to the municipality for the purpose of carrying out “all the actions that it deems necessary and agreeable to reach its maximum potential use for the sake of the economic development of the region and its municipality,” the resolution reads Opponents say that the Senate vote is scheduled to occur in a closed session on Tuesday “Senators don’t work until Monday,” they write “so Tainos have [organized and] are becoming merciless to reach their email boxes by Sunday 17 and Monday 18!” No vamos a permitir que le entreguen el Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana al municipio de Utuado. El Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña se opone con razón. Esta RCS45 permitiría la privatización y el traspaso de titularidad de un lugar sagrado. ¡Mañana llama a senadores 1pm! pic.twitter.com/nCEHVGe5M9 — Mariana Nogales Molinelli 2020 (@MarianaNM2020) April 7, 2022 “We aren’t going to allow them to hand over the Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana (CCIC, as the site is known in Spanish) to the municipality of Utuado,” said Mariana Nogales Molinelli, a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from the at-large district, in a tweet sharing images of the bill. “The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture is opposed with reason. This RCS45 would permit the privatization and transfer of ownership of a sacred place.” Built between 1200 and 1500 BCE by the Taíno, Puerto Rico’s Indigenous people, Caguana —the largest site of its kind in the West Indies— also features cobbled walkways and stone monoliths, some decorated with petroglyphs, which border the courts. In 1955, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture acquired the site and began the process of restoration and preservation. One alert describes the site at Caguana as “the Stonehenge of Puerto Rico.” A post shared by Indigenous Peoples Movement (@indigenouspeoplesmovement) “Privatization of Caguana is a violation of our Indigenous Sovereignty,” writes Desiree “Anakoniwa” Vargas another advocate and Higuayagua councilwoman “Financialization of cultural heritage sites not only violates Indingeous Taino peoples Taino people still have ceremonies at Caguana … We must protect and defend Caguana at all costs.” “I know what is running in my blood—I am Taino,” Janice Torres a New York-based Taíno and founder of social impact firm “There is no part of me that is comfortable with the continued pillaging of Puerto Rico and it’s my responsibility to use my platform to protect it and raise the voices of our ancestors who were muted by the hand of slavery “Teddy Roosevelt had the common sense and forethought to create national parks and historic landmarks He must have realized how important cultural patrimony is to the soul of his people,” writes Kacike Jorge Baracutay Estevez an educator and Taíno leader who spent 25 years teaching with the Museum of the American Indian.” What do we gain by allowing our cultural patrimonies to fall deeper into the pockets of outsiders or others with interests not our own?” “Our culture and our heritage belong to our children not to investors or corporations,” he concludes “Es verdad que vamos dejar que nos roben con nuestros hojos abierto?” (Are we really going to let them rob us with our eyes open?) and culture are place-based,” Vargas explains “Spaces like Caguana nurture our culture just as we nurture the land This sacred reciprocity is something we have done for centuries European Colonial violence interrupted our relationship with the land and with our culture We have fought relentlessly to revive and continue our way of life through existence Hector Luis Alamo is the Senior Editor at Latino Rebels and hosts the Latin[ish] podcast. Twitter: @HectorLuisAlamo […] ‘Stonehenge of Puerto Rico’: Site of Taíno Ceremonial Ball Courts Threatened by Privati… ‘Stonehenge de Puerto Rico’: sitio de juegos de pelota ceremoniales taínos amenazados por la privatizaciónEl Senado de Puerto Rico se prepara para votar una resolución conjunta que amenaza con privatizar el Sitio Ceremonial de Juego de Pelota Caguana en Puerto Rico según un grupo de activistas y líderes indígenas Many residents are making daily visits to distribution sites where the Army has set up portable water purification systems drinkable water -- is still hard to find in much of Puerto Rico nearly a month and a half after Hurricane Maria tore into the island In an isolated pocket of the central mountains They've set up a portable water purification system "We're just going day by day and giving out as much water as we can give out to whoever wants it and whoever needs it," said Sgt who's part of the seven person team in the municipality of Utuado Beside a lake surrounded by high limestone cliffs a droning machine slurps up muddy water and renders it safe to drink Wyckoff then directs it into an array of three room-sized round storage bags that lie on the ground like giant beached jellyfish Other soldiers fill containers for a throng of locals who line up carrying 55 gallon drums The line of cars and trucks is so long police have to direct the traffic.  to take his photo posing with a soldier in front of an Army water truck comparing his container of water to the multimillion dollar lottery prize This is one of eight water purification sites scattered around Puerto Rico They're filling just a fraction of the need A second team from Fort Bragg has even bigger equipment and 13 tanker trucks to distribute the water on the east end of the island the soldiers have been making more and more water as word spreads about them - more than 20,000 gallons a day now Wyckoff said they have requested more of the giant storage bladders so they can start running the purifier almost around the clock to meet the demands of everybody lining up to get water the city of Arecibo and Utuado," Wyckoff said Not far behind the jovial Santiago and his red pickup was a dump truck with two plastic tanks in back that can hold 700 gallons he fills the tanks and drives around his neighborhood of about 80 homes his wife and sometimes a neighbor drive down with breakfast and dinner they cook for the soldiers "It feels like we're making a difference." with several residents killed and the homes of thousands more damaged One community that's still cut off by road gets its supplies via a cable strung over a river most people in the region have been relying on water from streams which carries dangerous levels of bacteria people have rigged up white plastic pipes that carry stream water to makeshift outdoor areas where they can take showers and do laundry where there's a privacy curtain of old blankets strung on wires Two couples washed clothes as a pair of toddlers played in the water The majority of the neighborhood was destroyed," said Paola Bernacett "A lot of my family also lost their houses The houses were built from wood with tin roofs." She says that she and neighbors come here to do laundry and get water to carry home for cleaning and running toilets but they read in a newspaper about the bacteria She says it's unclear how long people here will have to piece together their water supply like this "From the rumors I've heard in the newspaper it's going to take a long time," she said.  Puerto Rico — An orange shopping cart hovers above the river swaying from a cable that stretches where a concrete bridge once did 39-year-old Elias Fresse loaded a suitcase and a bag of clothes into the basket then carefully descended about 50 feet down two wooden ladders to the river's bed The plush Minnie Mouse tied to his backpack was a surprise for his 3-year-old daughter "I've been doing this for two weeks now," Fresse said his rain boots coated in mud from the hour-long hike each way through dense woods and downed trees to his family's home As Puerto Rico continues its slow recovery from Hurricane Maria "Camp of the Forgotten," reads a sign neighbors posted at the edge of the bridge the nickname they gave their community after the storm the homemade pulley system has been their means of survival the way to get the food and water deliveries that started arriving two weeks after the storm The government's public water utility is constructing a bridge a half-mile upstream and rumors that it would be only accessible to the agency's own vehicles had turned out to be just rumors It’s fake news,” said Marilyn Luciano Soto who said she met with the project’s engineer Wednesday That means cars could soon be traveling again across the Rio Abajo It would be a significant step but far from the last Even travel on the accessible side of the bridge is treacherous the slopes slashed like wound marks where landslides occurred or scarred with deep craters that filled with water Trees and wires crane over cars that pass beneath a working bridge was a distant possibility as people made their trips crossed the river for a doctor's appointment Guzman's fifth in two weeks to treat a stomach virus who created the shopping-cart system with cable he took from a friend and a pulley bought at a Home Depot crossed with five 5-gallon cans to bring back gasoline for the generator that is powering his home and two neighbors' "I've been accustomed to what's happening," she said before hopping into the car of a family friend who was taking her to Caguas Though many have made the crossing more than a dozen times and seem undaunted made from scraps of wood gathered after the storm one must pull oneself up holding the metal caging of the bridge's retaining wall traveled across only to find rushing waters when he returned the home with the yellow roof and matching porch he shares with his wife just across the river Luciano Soto said she had watched from her home as the rising waters rushed over the bridge "That was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen," she said how the hell am I going to get out of here wading into the chest-deep water and holding onto a cord tied to the other side Now she will keep to her side until a bridge is built he will board a flight with his wife and daughters for Virginia leaving behind the concrete house in the mountains he built with his own hands "I've been thinking about it for a whole month has become a byword for the island’s devastation an equivalent to New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina the trees are ripped and torn and many are shorn of leaves; the rivers are swollen and their waters run mud-brown Bridges here and there have been knocked out and the narrow roads that wind through the hills have been smothered by mudslides government’s relief effort—consisting of ever-expanding units from the National Guard military—was still mostly limited to the main roads and larger towns Several dozen deaths have been attributed to Maria so far and a number of them have occurred in the region around Utuado including a sad case I heard about of one man who was trapped alone in his ruined home with his elderly mother and whom he had to bury by himself in their yard he is said to have hanged himself in despair Puerto Rico’s government is cash-strapped and grappling with an impossible-to-pay-off seventy-four-billion-dollar debt; the island’s poverty rate is over forty per cent; and the number of people relocating to the mainland United States has been rising for a decade many of Puerto Rico’s mountain people live an existence not unlike the people of Appalachia with a rural life style and economic level somewhere between working poor and lower middle class they cling to a tenuous Second World status cinderblock structures with grillwork on the windows and little fences around the yards—their owners are house-proud and paint these homes in a variety of bright colors on the road leading out of Utuado above Lake Caonillas a string of homes clung to a steep hillside below a fragile-looking slideway of mud and thinned-out vegetation the bamboo groves were tangles of twisted and snapped stalks where the road had been overwhelmed by mud and rock a gooey narrow passageway had been carved out for vehicles The two-story cinderblock home of Carlos J was destroyed by mudslides brought on by Hurricane Maria.Photograph by Christopher Gregory for The New YorkerCarlos J stood watching as a trickle of cars rolled slowly along the road one got stuck in the mud and Soto helped push it forward Soto gestured toward a house that lay flipped over He had gotten his family out just in time when the hillside above them exploded in mud and water and came down on them He pointed to a pickup truck that lay smashed on its side nearby because it had been parked out front and taken the initial brunt of the barrage construction; “whatever there is to do,” he said—and his family is comprised of two teen-age daughters They were squatting in a house just up the road that belonged to a neighbor who was in the United States they had been cut off from the outside world Getting fuel to run the generator had become one of his main headaches He’d been given some more fuel when he’d ventured to a nearby town but he would have to find a fresh supply soon neighbors had been dropping by the house the family was squatting in to bring clothing I asked him if he’d thought of leaving for the mainland Some four hundred thousand Puerto Ricans—out of a population of 3.8 million—moved away in the decade before Maria Many more are expected to leave in the wake of the storm It is said that as many as ten thousand residents have already left since planes began flying again in the past two weeks in New Jersey—he couldn’t remember the name of the town—but they had returned eight years ago because his eldest daughter had suffered from an allergy there that wouldn’t go away and it had improved since they had come home as seen from the mountains.Photograph by Christopher Gregory for The New YorkerKatiria didn’t like to study; she was just like him ready to do anything physical but bored with school work and she hopes eventually to go to college to study biology and my grandmother is going with them and my cousin to the United States,” Katiria said “Also the daughter of my godmother and her husband.” She paused to consult with Alejandra and then they rattled off a few more names “Everyone says things here are going to get worse so it’s better to make their lives there once and for all.” that she was happy to stay in Puerto Rico with her family but that she would “probably” try to apply for a scholarship to attend a college in the U.S Katiria and I spoke about President Trump’s recent visit to Puerto Rico “I heard he threw out some paper napkins and left an hour earlier than was scheduled,” she said “And that he didn’t leave the San Juan metropolitan area which wasn’t affected by Maria.” She shot me a shy “All he brought to Puerto Rico were those napkins What we’re expected to wipe with them: our asses Co-pastor Leticia Gonzalez preaches as her fellow pastor Nereido Gonzalez (left) stands at the altar Every Sunday since Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico Ada Reyes and her four children have walked half an hour to church they walk past concrete houses still bearing flood marks and finally cross the Vivi — a small river in Utuado Ada Reyes weeps and hugs Johanna Nieves Diaz as people comfort one another during the church service "I forget about everything going on in the street for a little bit The Iglesia Cristiana Monte Olivar church is small: one room with a few rows of chairs all facing two podiums up front Two associate pastors offer a prayer and members pray over each other some in tears and embracing each other as they pray Ada Reyes holds the hand of her daughter Adamaris Rodriguez Many roads nearby are still too dangerous to drive because of heavy flooding and strewn debris are powered by generators and have long lines and full parking lots seeding traffic jams People here are about to start their third week without electricity or water Nearly 90 percent of the island is still without power which has let in the rain they've been having this past week Her car fared much worse — it's pinned under a tree she makes the trek to church because it's the highlight of her week "I feel like nothing's happening around me when I'm here I forget about everything going on in the street for a little bit It gives me strength to keep on with my kids and the faith to see what happens." Ada Reyes hugs her children as churchgoers pray his Bible snugged into a denim case spread open on his lap A teenager stands at the podium with her iPhone playing instrumentals; she sings along She's soon joined by a man playing the guitar singing: "I hope the Holy Spirit takes care of everything There is nothing that will keep me from worshiping Rubble from Hurricane Maria surrounds the Iglesia Cristiana Monte Olivar church The church community has come together after hurricanes Maria and Irma she passes out white envelopes filled with cash — money raised by the congregation for members who are struggling He's able to remove debris or clean up a house who was playing the guitar earlier in the service Gonzalez lost three sisters in a landslide during the hurricane he moved them to a house he thought would be out of the flood zone their bodies were trapped under the debris He's still waiting for the coroner to properly identify them By Eliván Martínez Mercado on a three-hour journey on foot to the town He was carrying only $2.00 in his pocket to buy toilet paper A week after Hurricane María struck Puerto Rico one of nine isolated neighborhoods in the municipality of Utuado With no tap water and blocked access to go in the car to find food his family collects spring water and wanders through the forest looking for vegetables federal or municipal government has not yet arrived to these parts While in San Juan there are talks about the imminence of a humanitarian crisis asking God for mercy.” There will be no food for long Hurricane winds and floods damaged 80 percent of the country’s crops a farm that was once overflowing with bananas is now destroyed isolated communities are exposed to illness and hunger “Most of the mountainous municipalities have already cleared the main roads but they still have isolated sectors,” said Omar Negrón who advises governor Ricardo Rosselló on municipal affairs La Fortaleza has not yet published a list with the name of the isolated neighborhoods in the mountainous zone “The worst municipalities affected by the hurricane are in the mountains,” said Reinaldo Paniagua-Látimer executive director of Puerto Rico Mayors Federation was not only blocked by large trees and soil from landslides: “The mountains near my house melted We are walking through a shifting muddy land in which you sink I have had to help myself hand in hand with my children Clearing the roads is the previous step for water and food to arrive 146 and 123 were totally blocked last Tuesday The infrastructure of 11 bridges had been affected The passage of Highway 10 through the center of the Island —the main route between the cities of Arecibo and Ponce— was interrupted One of the bridges that connects with the Utuado Campus of the University of Puerto Rico we find that there are roads that no longer exist,” said Héctor Cruz director of the Municipal Emergency Management Office the third largest municipality in Puerto Rico has to face the humanitarian crisis with a municipal government that was already implementing austerity policies before the hurricane The municipal employees had suffered cuts in wages and working hours While Puerto Rico is in bankruptcy for defaulting on a $74 billion debt the ability of municipalities to raise money from the central government to deal with the emergency is affected City councils face a reduction of $350 million in ten years which represents 100% of central government contributions according to the fiscal plan approved by the Fiscal Control Board the federal entity that commands the country’s finances Utuado’s mayorship only had two mechanical shovels two compact Bobcat type work vehicles and a one caterpillar chain machine for work in 23 neighborhoods Puerto Rico is home of 3.5 million citizens with US passport President Donald Trump announced his visit to the Island for next Tuesday catalogued by Governor Rosselló as the worst disaster in Puerto Rico’s history has displaced more than 11,000 people to 179 shelters around the Island there were five shelters housing 286 people seven days after the hurricane but the municipal government expected that the amount would increase after the arrival of persons from isolated communities The first wagon with water supplies and food rations arrived on Monday at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Utuado “The priority has been for shelters and the emergency response workforce We started distributing food that we had picked it up and planned on sending to Vieques when it was affected by Hurricane Irma,” according to First Class Sergeant Alejandro Echevarría Edgardo Matías had not heard that there were uniformed men with assault weapons in the village Did the President arrive?” He did not know that there were communities in Toa Baja with more than 4,000 displaced persons some of whom had been rescued by helicopter from their roofs or that a dam reported threat of failure that would cause flooding between the villages of Quebradillas and Isabela “Here we have no idea about what happened in Puerto Rico,” said Matías surprised by the magnitude of the catastrophe Utuado’s WUPR 1530 radio station was only partially operational on Tuesday and the cell phone signal had not yet arrived he settled for the chicken turnover they put in his hands when he was on his way to town It was the first hot meal he had in six days Comments to: emartinez@periodismoinvestigativo.com and website in this browser for the next time I comment You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Group of young people from throughout Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Puerto Rico pray for a successful Caleb Mission initiative in Utuado a mountainous municipality in the central northern part of the island where they impacted communities with mission activities as well as a table tennis tournament A group of young people from throughout Puerto Rico packed their bags and tents to travel to Utuado to engage in mission impact activities as well as a table tennis tournament in the community The group of 19 young Seventh-day Adventists distributed food boxes to low-income families picked up debris at parks and public places and visited several government agencies and homes The community was invited to two youth evangelism series one at a community sports court and another at the Barrio Sabana Grande Adventist Church prayed for anyone who needed prayer and gave out hot meals A member of the “Caleb Mission’ team pressure cleans at the Angel Lile Medina Amphitheater of Utuado Mayor of Utuado Jorge Pérez thanked the Adventist youth for their service in his municipality “You have come to Utuado to bring us some fun education and things that can help human beings to reflect and bring the Word of God,” he said Youth Ministries Director of the Puerto Rican Union introduces the group of young people who led in a youth evangelism series at the Barrio Sabana Grande Adventist Church near Utuado Sixty-five players showed up for the table tennis tournament and dozens from the community watched the beginner and advanced level participants on Jul Music and a special devotional led by the Caleb Mission team began the event and featured Fabiola Díaz a table tennis gold medalist from the Central American games a table tennis medalist from Colombia’s Para-Olympic games Young people paint parts of a home in Utuado “Thank you for blessing our town,” said González “We have really enjoyed everything you have done and for bringing this [tournament and film] event.” González encouraged parents to motivate their children to become part of mission activities to bless others in their communities Young people from the community take part in a table tennis tournament organized by the Adventist youth group at the Zaida Nieves Andujar Center in Utuado also thanked the youth group and its leaders for their dedication to serving in the municipality “Continue to do good not only for Utuado but for our country,” he said young people to take charge of this ship of our country Caleb Mission team members get ready to begin their worship service on Jul at the Angel Lile Medina Amphitheater before the SPIN film is featured on the last day of the youth evangelism series © 2025 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Find out about the most important news and events happening in our division (CBS12) — While parts of Puerto Rico are back to normal after Hurricane Maria people living outside major cities - especially those living in rural areas - are feeling isolated and hopeless The scale of the disaster became clear as the CBS12 Investigates crew made their way through the city of Utuado A place where desperation is growing and hope is fading Christian tunes in Spanish play throughout the mountains of Utuado where a solar radio gives hurricane survivors a feel of civilization “It’s not cookies and cream what happened here,” said Desiree Battistini Battistini lived in one of those mountain-perched homes She had a beautiful view of a lake called Lago Caonillas from her porch she can see it from her second floor - along with the sky Strong winds from Hurricane Maria ripped off the roof She recounted how the damage happened as we walked through what is left of her home "Right here the wall fell and it holds this the ground and it fell into the lake,” Battistini said The damage and devastation is almost incomprehensible “My mom worked hard for this for 27 to 28 years and for it to be gone in 33 hours it’s just hard and difficult,” Battistini said It's been one hundred thirty-seven days since Hurricane Maria ripped through "You can be prepared for the hurricane but for the emotional part and physical part after it the search for water is a constant struggle "We look for water in the mountains and we carry buckets and bottles and it's every day It’s physically draining," Battistini said she's forced to leave written messages at the entrance of her home when she steps away He showed us where a mudslide broke through the back of his home but it's going to take a year or two,” Jimenez said Jimenez is the only person the CBS12 Investigates crew met in Puerto Rico whose loan was approved by FEMA One of the areas most affected in Utuado is Rio Abajo The people living in that area of the mountain were disconnected from the city after the connecting bridge collapsed their only way across the river in their town was a zip line they made out of cable They now have to walk a longer route as they wait for a new bridge to be completed About 20 bridges in the town of Utuado were wiped out by the storm Broken roads and knocked down homes are also still visible around town Only her faith gives her strength - or how they say it in Puerto Rico: fuerza “We pray every night everyday so that is what keeps me going," Battistini said She estimates to get power back by June or July and she is still waiting for a loan approval from FEMA PUERTO RICO — A full month after Hurricane María’s landfall everyone still seemed focused on one thing: water Utuadeños collect water at a roadside spring As I drove into the La Capilla sector of the Arenas neighborhood in the central mountain town of Utuado a plastic jug or some other container to gather water from whatever source they could find no one was complaining or waiting for a handout Their story is not one of despair and dependence—it is one of hope and agency born of a strong sense of community and self-reliance I headed out from San Juan to see for myself the struggle of rural residents in the aftermath of Puerto Rico’s most catastrophic natural disaster in close to a century food and other supplies that a group of friends had pitched in to buy I heard a now familiar story: aside from sporadic visits by private individuals and groups the government had not yet made an appearance in this remote and isolated village of about 250 homes and then only to deliver what residents described as “snacks.” these were not bitter people complaining about an absent government they were proud of what they had achieved on their own to reestablish a sense of normalcy: narrow one-lane roads had been cleared by neighbors a bridge that had been swept away by the storm largely by three families who owned heavy equipment and a system of above ground pipes delivered rain and spring water to some homes for basic hygiene The structure on the right is the community’s Catholic chapel—it gives the sector its name The church building lost its roof in the storm Two community leaders I spoke with —José “Pepe” González and Miriam Lugo— expressed doubts about the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s schedule for repowering the island particularly when it comes to their own homes However This attitude reflects the community’s willingness to strike out on its own These are not folks sitting idly by waiting for the federal or state governments to come to their aid They have no expectation that government will come save them if only to provide them with the tools and resources to rebuild an elderly resident in one of the more elevated parts of the neighborhood She’s now living with relatives in cramped quarters which although cleared are barely dirt paths in many areas make it difficult for her to leave her home to buy food or get water Even if she could make it to one of two nearby supermarkets only one is now accepting food stamps —it was able to reconnect its systems to process benefits on October 16 according to residents— a common problem throughout the island A mere 39% of businesses that normally accept food stamps are actually processing transactions according to government numbers current as of October 22 have actually taken to parking one of their vehicles on the other side of the makeshift bridge that had withstood the weather for going on five days If heavy rains return and it is again washed away they can walk across and still be able to drive into town with their spare vehicle this is not a real possibility for the poorest They depend on the kindness and solidarity of their neighbors and community leaders José “Pepe” González and Miriam Lugo the supplies I delivered were set aside in a local community center run by Lugo and others Most would be delivered later to the neediest families Relying on local leaders is what government should be doing to distribute aid in the most equitable and far-reaching form Relying on politicians has not only proven ineffective —complaints abound as to sectors that have not received any aid— but also fraught with potential for partisan patronage Community leaders prepare care packages for the less fortunate What’s needed most is a helping hand for individuals in communities that can rally their neighbors to regain what they lost in the storm and build more resiliency into their infrastructure and local systems the community could rebuild its roads and some homes water —abundant in the area— could be made potable for human consumption wind turbines and batteries could provide for a local energy grid to complement the Authority’s and a new and stronger Puerto Rico are within our reach if we trust in our own ability to lift ourselves up by our bootstraps focus on the local level and deposit our confidence in proven community leaders who aren’t waiting around for anyone Armando A. Valdés Prieto is a lawyer and political consultant, and a former director of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s Office of Management and Budget. He lives in San Juan with his wife, two cats and a dog. He tweets from @armandovaldes Diamilette Quiles will become the first woman to ever play in the Double-A Superior League the top level competition of the Baseball Federation of Puerto Rico (Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico) when she makes the field at first base for the Montañeses de Utuado against the Patrolmen of San Sebastian at the Ramón […] when she makes the field at first base for the Montañeses de Utuado against the Patrolmen of San Sebastian at the Ramón Cabañas stadium in Utuado on Sunday this is one more achievement in my career,” commented Diamilette Quiles “I am always proud when I get the chance to represent my people in Utuado Quiles added: “I thank the Baseball Federation and the Utuado Highlanders board for the opportunity to be the first woman to play Double-A baseball.” Diamilette Quiles in a Montañeses de Utuado’s uniform “It’s something never before seen in our Double-A Superior Baseball League We understand it will be another opportunity to expose the talent of women’s baseball and continue to promote inclusion in the sport,” said Dr José Quiles Rosas president of the Baseball Federation of Puerto Rico Quiles Rosas added: “I am sure the signature of Diamilette Quiles will open the door for more women to be motivated to play baseball and other teams of Superior Double Baseball A emulate Utuado by giving the opportunity to talented players of our female tournament” commented: “This is not just a symbolic signing It will contribute to closing the gender-gap and will help demonstrate that in many cases women can compete with men.” Women’s Baseball is a fast-growing discipline. WBSC and its continental body Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) recently announced the launching of a new European Championship that will also serve as a qualifier to the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Sitemap Media Data Protection Contacts Avenue Général-Guisan, 45 CH-1009 Pully | Switzerland The WBSC is recognised as the sole competent authority in Baseball and Softball by the International Olympic Committee