San Juan, Jan 14 (Prensa Latina)

Over 85 thousand Puerto Rico left their country in October, 2017, after being ravaged by hurricane Maria, that caused great devastation in this Caribbean island, it was revealed today.

The exodus of 85 thousand 502 persons represents 2.6 percent of the population of Puerto Rico, according to estimates of the Survey of the Community Census Department corresponding to July, 2017.

This data shows that one out of 38 Puerto Ricans left the country, indicates daily El Nuevo Dia ...

According to the newspaper, the months of November and December have not been computed, but it is expected that 2017 was the most intense year in migration terms over the last two decades ...

http://plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=23336&SEO=over-85-thousand-puerto-ricans-left-their-country-in-october

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/multimedia/Displaced-Puerto-Ricans-Seek-Refuge-in-Florida-20180114-0012.html

QUIARA ALEGRÍA HUDES
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, January 14, 2018, 5:00 AM

Late last month, a hundred days after Hurricane Maria hammered Puerto Rico, Jessie Alejandro and her husband, David Cruz, drove the island’s interior mountains, scanning the landscape for signs of life.

It was a day like many before it: the duo had fueled up, loaded their sedan with donated supplies, and headed along the circuitous mountain roads toward isolated towns, still without power ...

... They discovered rubble-strewn homes with no roofs. And families. For three months, children had been sleeping on damp mattresses exposed to rainfall. Because the families couldn’t produce land deeds or proper paperwork, FEMA denied their aid requests ...

In Gurabo, Jessie found a woman incapacitated by Alzheimer's ...

When Jessie offered help, the woman’s request was simple: flowers and a book, please ...

... Jessie saw it: amid rubble, broken streets, and destroyed vegetation, a garden was bursting with radiant gladiolas. Jessie ran to the door and asked if they’d let her pick a few stems. Turns out the household had no drinking water — and Jessie had a trunkful of that ...

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/answering-puerto-rico-cries-article-1.3754134

By Frederic Glantz 14 hrs ago

... If we can afford to give billionaires a tax cut that will add $1.4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, there is no excuse for not providing all that is needed to help those devastated by Hurricane Harvey ...

In the name of protecting American jobs, the tax bill just passed by the Republican Congress — without any votes from Senate Democrats — and signed into law by President Trump, imposes new duties on goods imported from other countries. The Republicans intentionally included a provision in the tax bill that treats Puerto Rico as a foreign country. This will make it even more difficult to rebuild the island’s economy. Why take this punitive action? ...

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/let-s-not-forget-our-fellow-americans-in-puerto-rico/article_215d40e5-0fcc-5beb-b53f-e2c68b05cc33.html