Battered by Maria, farms in Puerto Rico face long recovery
By David Abel GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 06, 2017
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico The stray bull had roamed through a valley of tall grass when the wranglers finally cornered it beside a highway on the islands northern coast. They lassoed the animal and dragged it up a steep hill, prodding it over a guardrail and into a cattle cage.
The bucking bovine had a large gash on its side. Yet it was among the islands more fortunate cattle, a survivor of the fierce winds and catastrophic flooding spawned by Hurricane Maria.
When the Category 4 hurricane barreled through Puerto Rico two weeks ago, at least 36 people died and tens of thousands lost their homes and businesses. But the islands valuable livestock and vegetable farms a significant part of its economy sustained devastating losses as well.
Within a few hours, the storm destroyed an estimated 80 percent of the value of the islands agricultural crops, costing it some $780 million, said Carlos Flores Ortega, secretary of Puerto Ricos Department of Agriculture.
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