PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of protesters rallied at City Hall Thursday evening, calling for the federal government to take action in response to Puerto Rico’s ongoing water crisis.
Advocates want the government to make an emergency declaration about the crisis, which would help allocate crisis-response resources to the American territory.
For more than a month, Puerto Rico has been mired in one of its worst droughts since 2015, with roughly 72% of the island facing drought conditions, according to Yale Climate Connections. Residents continue to suffer through water rationing and shutoffs.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced August 10 that it will be sending water trailers to the territory for up to a month, after the Puerto Rican government called for federal support.
According to Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, crises like this happen time and time again on the Caribbean island. She believes water infrastructure there is in desperate need of an overhaul.
Rallygoer Adamary Sosa agreed with Lozada, arguing that just providing water amid drought-fueled shortages isn’t enough; rather, it’s a job for a body like the Army Corps of Engineers.
“That infrastructure is broken,” he said. “So they need resources to be able to fix that, so that this doesn’t happen every time there is a drought.”
"All we gotta do is pray and survive"
Philly-area Boricuas — Puerto Rican natives, or their descendants — say they’re worried about friends and family that live there.
One resident, Jose Espada said he is thinking and praying about his family in Puerto Rico, as he picked up food at El Coqui bakery in the city’s Harrowgate neighborhood.
“All we gotta do is pray and survive,” he said. “I think if another hurricane like Maria comes — I think we’re gonna be done.”
"Anywhere else in the United States, that would be a crisis"
Rafael Alvarez Febo, co-founder of the Puerto Rican Professionals Network, spoke at Thursday’s rally, saying that every day, Puerto Ricans are forced into the impossible decision of how to allocate their limited water supply.
“You literally have your everyday routines absolutely disrupted because of a lack of running water,” he said. “Anywhere else in the United States, that would be a crisis. That would warrant national news, and that would warrant national response.”
For those who’d like to help, other advocates at the rally recommended looking into organizations like the Salvation Army or Plenitud PR.
The hundreds of thousands of residents living in U.S. territory face water rationing and shortages among one of the worst droughts in a decade.
The hundreds of thousands of residents living in U.S. territory face water rationing and shortages among one of the worst droughts in a decade.
