Puerto Rico’s rural mountain towns and municipalities were some of the last to receive aid after Hurricane Maria because of their remote location and the island’s relatively poor roads. Many of the people in these areas are older residents who have chosen to stay on the island rather than migrate to the mainland United States. Due to age and lack of resources, they are some of Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable people – but they are also among the most resourceful and resilient.
Adjuntas
Adjuntas is located in the central mountain range of Puerto Rico. Known by islanders as “La ciudad del gigante dormido,” (The city of the sleeping giant), Adjuntas sits atop some of Puerto Rico’s tallest mountains.
Half of the population falls below the average median income, making Adjuntas one of the poorest mountain towns in Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Maria left over 18,000 people without electricity for over six months.
[masterslider id=”175″]
Yauco
Yauco is a large municipality located in southwest Puerto Rico. Yauco starts in the central mountain range of the island and rolls down into a valley extending to the Caribbean Sea. Known as “El Pueblo de Cafe,” (Coffee City), Yauco is the main producer of coffee on the island.
In 1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, a category four hurricane, tore through the island’s coffee plantations and devastated the coffee production, with damages totalling approximately $10 million.
Hurricane Maria did the same, leaving coffee farmers throughout Yauco with little to no hope of rebuilding their industry.
[masterslider id=”176″]
Ciales
Known by islanders as “Los Valerosos,” (The Valiant Ones), Ciales is located in the central mountain range of Puerto Rico.
Half of the population falls below the average median income, making Ciales one of Puerto Rico’s poorest mountain towns.
Hurricane Maria ravaged Ciales leaving over 19,000 people incapable of accessing roads and without light for over six months. Ciales is only 45 minutes away from the island’s metropolitan center of San Juan, but many residents did not see FEMA agents until a month after Hurricane Maria made landfall.
[masterslider id=”172″]
Barrio Real, Patillas
Barrio Real is a small suburb in Patillas which is located on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico. Patillas is known by islanders as “La Esmeralda del Sur” (The Emerald of the South), for its lush green mountains that roll to the coast.
Fifty-five percent of Barrio Real’s population is retired and many live below the poverty line.
Barrio Real does not use Puerto Rico’s water reserve and filtration system that most of the island uses. The community relies on their own filtration system to purify water from the river that flows through the the small mountain community. However, with the loss of electricity because of Hurricane Maria, Barrio Real residents also lost their access to clean drinking water.
[masterslider id=”173″]
Ponce
Ponce is the second largest city/municipality in Puerto Rico following San Juan. Known as “La Perla del Sur,” (The Pearl of the South), Ponce’s northern boundary begins in a mountainous region that flows into a valley and reaches the island’s southern coast.
After Hurricane Maria made landfall, Ponce’s population of almost 200,000 lost electricity and easy access to food and water. Though much of Ponce’s coastline and city center regained power relatively quickly, farmers in the mountain regions remained without power for months.
[masterslider id=”169″]
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
