Nov 2017 The Other Side of Maria: Poverty Uncovered
A comparative analysis over time
Since 1970, official statistics corroborate that Puerto Rico made significant advances on the war on poverty. Economic growth and federal assistance in the Island were responsible for poverty reduction. On September 20th, hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico leaving major economic damages and wiping out most of the vegetation in the Island. Besides its physical and economic impact, Maria also uncovered the poverty that exists in the Island and which makes us the poorest jurisdiction among the 50 States and PR. The face of poverty includes children, women, blacks, and the mountain area in PR. This issue addresses how poverty has changed in PR, what was the profile of poor people before Maria, what are the welfare programs to fight poverty, and what will it take to halt the increase in poverty levels caused after hurricane Maria.