A Memphian is trying to raise awareness after Hurricane Maria’s destruction of Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, which Puerto Rican officials described as “apocalyptic.â€
When authorities flew over the island Saturday, they saw the millions of citizens without power or communication, limited access to food and water, eight-hour lines to get gasoline and a collapsed infrastructure. The devastation the island territory has face is said to have set Puerto Rico back 20-30 years, said Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez.
Puerto Rico native Marlon Mercado started a Facebook group, “Reportate PR,†in order to help the Puerto Rican community and raise the awareness he said that the media wasn’t giving.
Mercado, who has lived in Memphis for a year, said he felt useless not being able to help his family or island in such a tragic time—a family he hasn’t heard from in two weeks.
“Many people don’t know we are U.S. citizens,†Mercado said. “They forget that we’re humans, and that’s why they don’t want to help us.â€
Mercado, 40, said he feels that media generally disregards Puerto Rico. Compared to when Harvey and Irma hit, Puerto Rico didn’t initially receive anywhere close to the same amount of coverage.
“Harvey and Irma were on the news 24/7, but to see anything about Puerto Rico, I have to download an app,†Mercado said. “They don’t talk about what’s really going to keep ratings up. Puerto Rico gave a lot of support to cities affected by Harvey and Irma, but no one talked about it.â€
ABC’s “This Week,†CBS’ “Face the Nation,†Fox’s “Fox News Sunday,†CNN’s “State of the Union†and NBC’s “Meet the Press†each dedicated less than one minute to Maria’s devastation during the Sunday after the storm hit, according to Media Matters, a web-based media research organization.
Mercado said no one cared about the community until people started criticizing the president for not talking about the devastation.
President Donald Trump addressed the matter on Sept. 25 on Twitter.
“Texas and Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble,†Trump tweeted. “It’s [sic] old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated.â€
Puerto Rico’s roads are damaged, and 30 percent of people don’t have water, Mercado said. People cannot get medical help because the hospitals have no power and are paying $11 for water. Mercado said the people are doing anything they can to provide food for their loved ones.
“The international airport is open with minimal air traffic,†Mercado said. “Only first-hand responders come in, and the government is only allowing two commercial flights a day to come in so they can avoid people coming in just to look at the damage.â€
Mercado’s group will host a free event at Shelby Farms Park Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. to inform people about what is going on in the aftermath of Maria and what Memphis can do to help the Puerto Rican community.
