Three months after Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico at 155 mph, approximately one-third of the devastated island is still without electricity. FEMA has called it the "largest federal response to a disaster" in American history yet on the eve of Christmas day only 65 percent of the island has power, with the rest expected to be restored May.
Food shortages persist, water supply remains unreliable and some 450 people are seeing themselves forced to spend the holiday season in shelters or makeshift homes.
Despite the slow-moving reconstruction efforts the number of federal personnel providing assistance has dwindled to just 5,405 with FEMA responders stretched thin as the organisation operates in other areas including California, Texas and Florida.
In addition to the exhausting reconstruction effort, Puerto Ricans are also grappling with a death toll that could soon surpass that of Katrina. According to two reports the number of deaths could be as high as 1,502 while the official number remains 64. A recount was ordered by the island's governor Ricardo Rossello.
The devastation and insufficient aid has triggered a mass exodus from the island. The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at the City University of New York estimates that over 470,335 residents will have left by the end of 2019 - that's 14 percent of the population.
For those who can afford it Florida is set to become the most popular destination, with an estimated annual flow of between 40,000 and 82,000 people. This is likely to pose accommodation challenges for the peninsula.
The new tax bill that is meant to keep companies from shifting profits to other countries to avoid paying taxes would affect Puerto Rico because the US territory is considered a foreign jurisdiction for tax purposes, even though its 3.4 million residents are American citizens.
Even before Maria laid waste to the island three months ago, Puerto Rico was contending with $72 billion in debt. Rossello has asked the U.S. government for a total of $94.4 billion in aid, including $31.1 billion for housing and $17.8 billion to rebuild the ruined power grid.
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Read more:
US hurricane season 2017 most costly ever - so far
After Hurricane Maria, Sharapova heading to Puerto Rico to help with relief work
Trump to visit Puerto Rico amid growing war of words
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The%20specs
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
More on animal trafficking
More on animal trafficking
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
