Dramatic story of struggling to make do in Puerto Rico… slightly undermined

It is a great story and dramatic photo, residents of Charco Abajo (“the puddle underneath”) whose bridge washed away, using a supermarket cart and pulley system to get stuff more easily across the river.  But wait, what is that in the background?  A backhoe and a dump truck?  Maybe the government hasn’t forgotten them… maybe it takes a long time to repair a washed out bridge, and repairs have indeed started?  Maybe goldminers are looting the river in the post-hurricane chaos? The reporter (Caitlin Dickerson) does not say… it would have been nice to have a short paragraph about who has organized the recovery (or looting!?) underway in the background of the photo.

NY times photo

About mkevane

Economist at Santa Clara University and Director of Friends of African Village Libraries.
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