Caribbean Matters: 7 years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still suffers

Hurricane Maria barrelled into Puerto Rico seven years ago, wreaking major destruction, killing thousands of residents, and leaving massive numbers of people homeless. Approximately 5.8 million mainland Puerto Ricans (including people of Puerto Rican heritage) and the 3.3 million island denizens must grapple with yet another painful anniversary while most other people have forgotten about the natural disaster—and the tragedy it wrought. 

It’s unbelievable that Puerto Rico has not yet recovered from the hurricane’s destruction. One wonders if that recovery will ever be complete without drastic changes both on the island and in its relationship to its colonial overlords in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, many of those who lost family members, friends, and neighbors attend memorial services or simply light a candle in their names. They are not—and never will be—forgotten. You can read some of their names and stories here in this database, which was collected by reporters from Quartz and Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism.

Here at Daily Kos, we have continued to cover Maria’s aftermath and other stories about Puerto Rico, and will continue to do so. Immediately after Maria, on Sept. 27, 2017, we created a community group called SOS Puerto Rico, and since that time staff writers and community members have posted 634 stories to the group. You can follow the group, search its tag, or ask to join.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.