![]() ![]() The country must also consider the long-term health needs of the people of Puerto Rico and invest in the redevelopment of their hospitals and health care centers. Prioritizing the provision of potable water to all people on the island and increasing the level of emergency medical assistance to the people of Puerto Rico is vital at this time. In addition to limiting health professionals' capacity to respond to those injured by the effects of the hurricane, the damage will also have significant long-term consequences for the health care sector in a region that is already vulnerable to many tropical vector-borne diseases, such as Dengue fever and the Zika Virus. Many of the hospitals were flooded, and are strewn with debris. In Puerto Rico, 1.6 million locations do not have power, leaving hospitals relying on diesel generators to provide lifesaving treatment – and only 11 of 69 hospitals have either power or fuel supply. Puerto Rico's hospitals are particularly strained. Forty-four percent of Puerto Rico's population currently lack access to potable water. ![]() Puerto Rico could be on the verge of a public health crisis. Therefore, it is essential that Congress pass a funding package that helps to rebuild the agricultural sector in Puerto Rico, a critical part of its economy and a means by which many of the poorest residents of the island rely for their daily bread. ![]() Food security remains a paramount concern for the people of Puerto Rico, who were already suffering from painful poverty and hunger. Martin – were also hit by the hurricane, and the future of those countries' exports is uncertain. Moreover, many of the islands from which Puerto Rico imports its foods – Caribbean islands like the Dominican Republic, Dominica, and St. Preliminary reports from Puerto Rico's Department of Agriculture indicate that the cost to Puerto Rico will approach $780 million in agricultural yields – an unprecedented level of destruction. Reports indicate that Puerto Rico's agricultural sector has been decimated – there will be nearly no food grown on the island for at least a year. Congress has a duty to go to the aid of those in crisis and seek real solutions for our fellow citizens. In his encyclical Laudato Sí, Pope Francis points out, "These days, are mentioned in international political and economic discussions, but one often has the impression that their problems are brought up as an afterthought, a question which gets added almost out of duty or in a tangential way, if not treated merely as collateral damage." When it comes to the effects of Puerto Rico's debt, the people of Puerto Rico are not merely collateral damage. In the wake of unthinkable devastation caused by recent hurricanes, the people of Puerto Rico face an unprecedented level of need that calls for meaningful action that addresses both immediate and long-term needs of the people of Puerto Rico – especially regarding food security, health care access, and sustainable alleviation of the island's debt. United States Senate / United States House of Representatives ![]()
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