PLEASE KEEP PUERTO RICO IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

[niles500]

As I see the hell about to come down on this US territory and the other islands in it's path, I hope that the loss of life is not as bad as it appears.

[Oonrahnjay]

As I see the hell about to come down on this US territory and the other islands in it's path, I hope that the loss of life is not as bad as it appears.

     I spend winters on St. Croix, USVI -- about 50 miles SE of Puerto Rico.  I've been getting news that it's bad but not terrible (the eye passed within 15 miles of St. Croix, then over PR).  Many buildings appear to have lost porches and some roof parts but most are structurally sound. 

[eagle19952]

     I spend winters on St. Croix, USVI -- about 50 miles SE of Puerto Rico.  I've been getting news that it's bad but not terrible (the eye passed within 15 miles of St. Croix, then over PR).  Many buildings appear to have lost porches and some roof parts but most are structurally sound. 

 I spend winters on St. Croix, USVI.
Do tell more
do you rent ?
can you get tacos, jerk chicken, is beer free ? is weed legal ? do you have to bring bourbon if you drink it ?
is it all tourist $$ living ?

[Oonrahnjay]

 I spend winters on St. Croix, USVI.
Do tell more
do you rent ?
can you get tacos, jerk chicken, is beer free ? is weed legal ? do you have to bring bourbon if you drink it ?
is it all tourist $$ living ?

      I got a sweet deal, Don.  Little $$ but "work camping" at a condo resort, I live free.  Tacos are from a taco truck or Mex restaurant like anywhere else but jerk chicken and "roti" (an Indian sandwich made with soft bread and curry, wrapped sorta like a burrito -- the British brought lots of Indian workers to their Caribbean islands; people roam all over down there so there are significant numbers of French, Dutch, and Spanish speaking people who look like "native" Cruzan people.  Fewer than 40% of people born on St. Croix have both parents and all four grandparents born there.  My dentist down there (nice guy and incredibly talented) has at least one Cuban grandparent and also a grandmother who was a college professor at Howard University in Washington DC., he lived with his grandmother and went to Howard dental school in the 70's -- yeah, he's old as I am) is as good as anything *anywhere* -- and it's GOOD.  They are also big on spiced barbecued fish, conch, and Carib lobster, all of which are great.  Lots of rice, fried plantains, a stewed dish of greens called "kallaloo" that's kind of like Southern collards with pork or other meat bits, spice, and little bits of peas, carrots, etc., and mashed, boiled plantains with butter and evap milk called "fungi" (Foon-ghee) or "provision" that kicks butt over any mashed potato dish you ever et.

      But one of my favorite things is that there's a rum refinery on the island -- well really, one "historic" distillery that's been there for 80 years or so years and a "modern" one run by "Jack Morgan" (I think a brand from Schenley in Canada) that opened about 3 years ago.  To keep the industry and employment strong, the government waives a lot of taxes on locally made rum.  You can buy a fifth of rum for $6.99 in the grocery stores --- actually you can buy a fifth of rum for $5.99 if you can stand the smell of lighter fluid and don't mind if they didn't shoo the flies off it, but the $5.99 stuff is pretty good.  Other stuff - bourbon, scotch etc - qualifies for the low taxes so it's sorta cheap by mainland standards, but it's considered a luxury so retailers kick the profit margin up on it and it's not as cheap as the rum.

      And it's 83 degrees every day in January and February, 74 for a low at night.  You can sleep on the beach or on the porch with nothing but a light sheet.

      Unfortunately, the island got the S**t kicked out of it by Hurricane Maria, power is off and may be for 3-6 months, and many houses and businesses lost their roofs.  It's sorta third-world, even though it's a US possession/territory, and so for many people, losing everything they own is a terrible blow.

[bevans6]

I think there's going to be a "refugee problem" from PR and the USVI, and in other directions for territories of other countries.  Puerto Ricans and residents of other unicorporated US territories are US citizens, and so are fully eligible to move anywhere in the US, as I understand it.  I foresee that several of the smaller islands will essentially be uninhabitable henceforth, in a 21st century manner, and won't be repopulated for years, if at all, to the extent they were.  Puerto Rico may not have any national electrical infrastructure for months, and it may take years to fully rebuild, making it all but uninhabitable for modern life.  Couple that with the extreme possibility that hurricanes of this magnitude and frequency may become the new normal, reoccurring every year from now on, and I think that millions of people are going to be moving to Idahoe, Montana, and other places very very far from an ocean...   

[Oonrahnjay]

I think there's going to be a "refugee problem" from PR and the USVI, and in other directions for territories of other countries.  Puerto Ricans and residents of other unicorporated US territories are US citizens, and so are fully eligible to move anywhere in the US, as I understand it.  I foresee that several of the smaller islands will essentially be uninhabitable henceforth, in a 21st century manner, and won't be repopulated for years, if at all, to the extent they were.  Puerto Rico may not have any national electrical infrastructure for months, and it may take years to fully rebuild, making it all but uninhabitable for modern life.  Couple that with the extreme possibility that hurricanes of this magnitude and frequency may become the new normal, reoccurring every year from now on, and I think that millions of people are going to be moving to Idahoe, Montana, and other places very very far from an ocean...   

       You're right on these points, Brian.  There are some complicating factors,  this "moving to the mainland" effect has been going on for some time.  Hurricane Hugo hit St. Croix (particularly) hard in 1989 (28 years ago) -- the island saw a very large number of buildings destroyed or suffering major damage then; what I'm seeing in the news photos is that the newer buildings, those built after Hugo to more modern and smarter standards, have suffered much less damage than older buildings or newer ones that were not updated.  So, it's possible to build in a way that's safe in these areas.  All the talk is "rebuilding -- because this is our home" and that is particularly true of St. Thomas and St. John -- which were not hit by Hugo and had fewer high-standard buildings and thus suffered worse in Irma than St. Croix has in Maria.
       The "moving" part has been happening for years.  My barber on St. Croix moved there from Martinique (native French speaker) and raised six children on the island; all the children went to school on St. Croix but moved to the mainland to go to college or university, all got four-year degrees and none have come back to the island.  They've married, started families, and settled where there are better career possibilities on the mainland.  And on the point of "US Citizens", the rate of young people enlisting in the military from the USVI is among the highest of any of the US states and territories (per capita).
       Your points have a lot of validity, on the other hand, I expect we'll see some pretty complicated situations as the next few years pass.