As of April, Puerto Rico has experienced the second-longest power outage in history, and the worst blackout ever in America according to the Rhodium Group. It’s been nine months since Hurricane Maria struck the island, and austerity measures make it difficult to meaningfully invest in rebuilding.
The Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago recently returned from a four-day summit on sustainability and development in Puerto Rico. The agenda is setting up micro-grants for emergency supplies, solar panels, generators, medicine, and construction materials for small municipalities in Puerto Rico. The agenda recently got a $100,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust.
Suburban-based pharmaceutical company Abbvie also pledged $100 million to Puerto Rico’s address medical and housing crisis.
To discuss, we’re joined by Cristina Pacione-Zayas, co-chair of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago.