As the rain fell heavily on the city of Milwaukee last weekend, I couldn’t help but think about the people who live on the island of Puerto Rico. In Milwaukee, heavy rainfall in September is just a passing inconvenience. For the people of the island, the months of August to October are filled with fear and apprehension.
Seven years ago, Puerto Rico and several other Caribbean islands were ravaged by a category 4 hurricane that carried a name well-known throughout Latin America and Europe: Maria. It’s the name of a beloved song about a woman, a name given to baby girls throughout the Latin diaspora and across Europe. However, in September of 2017, “Maria” became synonymous with devastation as the hurricane barreled through the Caribbean, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
The storm tore through Puerto Rico, wreaking havoc on the island’s infrastructure. Entire communities were left without power for months. Homes were reduced to rubble, while the island’s lush greenery was stripped bare by the fierce winds. In some areas, clean water became a luxury. Lives were lost due to the lack of response from the government, and Puerto Rico’s already fragile infrastructure and economy.
One of the most devastating aspects of Maria’s aftermath was the failure of the island’s electrical grid. Puerto Rico’s power grid, already in a precarious state before the storm, was completely decimated. For months, large parts of the island had no access to electricity, with some rural areas remaining without power for almost a year. The lack of electricity hampered recovery efforts and impacted critical services like hospitals, schools and businesses.
To this day, Puerto Rico continues to experience regular power outages due to an underfunded and mismanaged electrical system. Despite promises of modernization and rebuilding, the grid remains fragile, leaving millions of residents vulnerable every time a storm approaches.
For those on the island, the trauma of Maria is a painful memory that looms every hurricane season. The question is not if another storm like Maria will strike, but when. What will the people do when the next hurricane comes? More importantly, how will the government prepare? The failures of both local and federal governments during and after Maria were laid bare. Corruption, lack of preparedness and slow recovery efforts turned a natural disaster into a humanitarian crisis.
This episode of La Alternativa includes the Bad Bunny song “Una Velita” (“A Little Candle”). It’s a powerful reminder of the lessons learned from Maria, as well as a wake-up call to the voters still living on the island, urging them to hold political parties accountable for years of neglect and corruption. Bad Bunny challenges the leadership to stop playing games with people’s lives and prioritize humanity over greed. “Una Velita” reflects the frustration of a generation that refuses to be silenced, demanding change for an island still healing from the scars of the past.
Listen to the full episode using the player above, and tune in to La Alternativa every Sunday at 5 p.m. on 88Nine or 10 p.m. on HYFIN.
Episode playlist
- Bad Bunny – “Una Velita”
- Aitana – “4TO 23”
- Mon Laferte – “Autopoetica”
- Molinette Cinema – “Estrellas en la Oscuridad”
- Ivan Cornejo – “Atención”
- Jesses Baez – “Hablas”
- Adri Torron & Pepe Bernanbé – “NASA”
- DannyLux – “HOUSE OF LUX”
- Sofia Valdés & Cuco – “How’s That Working Out”
- Ana Tijoux – “Tu Sae’” ft Talib Kweli & Plug 1
- Paloma Murphy – “(sola)”
- Cancamusa – “Sin Miedo a la profundidad”
- Reyna Tropical – “Conexión Ancestral”
- REYNA – “MEXICO”
- Yung Pleit – “By Your Side/A Tú Lado”
- Manu Chao – “Viva Tu”
- Angelica Garcia – “Gemini”
