Jeremy Peters: It’s Difficult to Overstate How People Feel in Puerto Rico

EXCERPT:

PETERS: “Well, Willie, if you think about Puerto Rico in this very difficult place and that relief supply chain to reach, the Virgin Islands is basically at the end of that supply chain. Even before Maria struck, they were relying on containers coming from Puerto Rico's ports to bring them supplies, doctors, everything that they needed to try to to get back on their feet. Then you have this one, two gut punch of Irma followed by Maria. And what Irma didn’t destroy, Maria essentially drowned. And it’s really difficult to -- to overstate just how broken people felt after the second storm. And the shock is still really rippling through. It’s not just the physical devastation, which, as you can see, is -- is -- is tremendous, it’s the emotional toll that’s taken on people. Someone told me, for example that when the wind blows at night and the shudders on his house shake, he still gets frightened because it was so traumatic having to go through these two monster storms.”