Puerto Rico has had a stable and democratic political system since 1952 when it elected its first governor and adopted a Constitution with ample human freedoms. Since the 1970s the island developed environmental laws, regulations, and policies that closely emulated those of the United States of America. Since then, the high-minded principles that gave birth to the Commonwealth government slowly eroded and without notice to the average citizen, the Constitution was subverted as a succession of government administrations plunged the island economy into bankruptcy. Simultaneously, hurricane María with strong winds and heavy rains struck the island with 24 hours of continuous hurricane strength winds. While much has been written and discussed regarding the ecological effects of María and the devastation it caused to human infrastructure and lives, less attention has been given to what María uncovered regarding insular governance.
Results/Conclusions
María uncovered a level of government corruption that was unimaginable to the local population. As a result, the capacity of the government to assure the health and safety of its people and the quality of the social-ecological environment of the island was almost nonexistent. Scientists became more prominent given that they had predicted, but no one paid attention, the many calamities that affected the island almost simultaneously (bankruptcy of the economy, hurricanes, landslides, sea-level rise, earthquakes, meteorite hits). When faced with these events, government took a back seat to individual and community initiatives. A governor was forced to resign. Scientists dealt directly with the people, rather than through government. Such a change in the power structure may be a solution for the future when governments fail to function when faced with extreme events. Moreover, extreme events such as María appear to drive the economy and the ecological systems of the island.