In September 2017, Hurricane Maria, a catastrophic Category 5 storm, hit the island of Puerto Rico directly, leaving the entire island in ruins. Understanding the local and global implications of this disaster is essential to capture the impacts on communities and economies. This includes local impacts, from infrastructural damage, loss of lives, and humanitarian crises. At the global level, the hurricane disrupted a supply chain, impacted trade, and even galvanized international assistance efforts. These effects analyzed for disaster management strategies and interdependence of global systems in light of natural disasters are helpful. This essay focuses on Hurricane Maria’s local and global implications on world economies and the global response effort to the incident.
Background of Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was a Category 5 hurricane that landed in September 2017 east of the Lesser Antilles, targeting Puerto Rico. Growing into strength quite rapidly, it reached the Caribbean, whose trajectory led with unprecedented force toward Puerto Rico in an area of landfall (Jury et al., 2019). The island bore the brunt of Maria’s devastating force because it had earlier economic challenges and infrastructural vulnerabilities. The hurricane brought fierce winds, hard rains, and massive flooding, which went on to cause extensive destruction to homes, businesses, and significant infrastructure around the island.
Not only did the effects of Hurricane Maria reach throughout the world, but they also disrupted the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries in Puerto Rico, spilling over onto the world supply of several needed medical products and other goods. It also unleashed international solidarity with nations, organizations, and people coming to Puerto Rico to give humanitarian assistance and support to its beleaguered population (Meléndez & Santiago, 2018). This shows an underlying factor of globalization in a world bound by an obligation to collective action in times of natural disaster.
Several challenges came in the way of preparing for disasters. Systemic issues like weak infrastructure and tight financial conditions only help prepare a little for the peril. The first relief efforts, logistics, and lack of communication due to the mass destruction caused by the hurricane brought problems. Additionally, there was a problem in that Puerto Rico is placed in an off-mainland and remote geography where reaching the affected areas and providing relief is challenging.
The island’s status as a United States territory only complicated the usual onerous coordination of federal assistance. It was further complicated by delays when it could not have come at a worse moment. Puerto Rico’s frail health system was not capable of adjusting for the thousands of injured and displaced people, which further cascaded the already-stressed humanitarian crisis. The lack of concrete disaster preparedness and response mechanisms outlined the systemic reform and investment needs toward enhancing resiliency-building initiatives within Puerto Rico for better capacities when faced with future disasters (Jury et al., 2019). In the middle of these hindrances is that resilience and solidarity have been the strength of the communities of Puerto Rico, with the support of humanitarian organizations and volunteers, in providing the responses and help with the recovery and reconstruction of the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Maria.
Local Implications of Hurricane Maria
The economic impacts that stormed Puerto Rico with Hurricane Maria were devastating: the destruction of infrastructure, along with suspended economic operations, fueled widespread economic downfall. The hurricane’s path was littered with fallen trees, destroyed bridges, and broken power lines. Transporting networks and critically important services stopped under the enormous pressure of these straight-line winds and enormous rainfall. In addition, critical industries came after untold losses; crops were crushed in the storm’s trail while livestock also weathered the storm’s might (Miller et al., 2019). Naturally, this led to the slowdown of the economic growth rate and the pre-existence of the financial difficulties on the island. The result was the recession accompanied by the rise of unemployment and poverty.
The social and humanitarian consequences of Hurricane Maria led to depression figures, a large share of human casualties, and vast-scale displacement. The hurricane’s destructive force claimed many lives; some have disappeared or been displaced and have found refuge in shelters or with other relatives. The health and public health issues brought on by the humanitarian crisis were further complicated by health care and public health services being impeded by the system, causing delivery failures and infrastructure damage (Miller et al., 2019). The shortage of clean water, electricity, and sanitation, being the health risks, doubled the danger level of those already bearing the brunt.
With the government initiatives and the recovery process in place, the issues after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were addressed. As part of the restoration project implementation, it was essential for all agencies and affected residents. Several initiatives with the capital from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were implemented to address the situation. The primary purpose of these projects was to repair critical infrastructure, resume essential functions, and support those affected independently to earn their trust and receive full cooperation from the community in the future. FEMA’s initiatives were funded through multiple FEMA programs, such as maintenance and reconstruction of highways, bridges, and utilities, including temporary housing and assistance to affected individuals and businesses.
While implementing FEMA-based projects remained the critical mechanism that was significantly responsible for the recovery process afterward, such projects had challenges and criticisms directed at their execution and efficacy. Approval delays by the government, bureaucratic hurdles, and allocating the proper funding mechanism stalled the progress and prolonged the recovery time for many communities. It is also noted that challenges such as equitable resource availability and adequate assistance for people experiencing poverty need particular focus (Rivera, 2020). Notwithstanding the challenges, the federal government assistance and projects funded by FEMA FEMA-funded projects and other relief efforts played an essential role in the rebuilding process of Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane Maria.
Global Implications of Hurricane Maria
The multifaceted consequences of ‘Hurricane Maria’ shook the globe and brought unrest to the supply chains. The consequences were noticeable and all-encompassing, especially on the commercial front: Puerto Rico, as it was the production site for many pharmaceutical products, medical paraphernalia, and other similar goods (which were critical at the time), had an essential role as a hub for manufacturing (Rodríguez-Madera et al., 2021). The production and distribution interruption resulted in regularly the depletion of essential products covering markets globally. Furthermore, companies in the multinational market with factories in Puerto Rico faced difficulties in operations and supply chain failure to a greater extent, indicating a significant weakness in the global economic networks when the disaster occurred.
The financial effects of Hurricane Maria go beyond Puerto Rico, only where it is felt: the insurance market and financial institutions in the world are affected. The broad annihilating effect of the hurricane, especially regarding the amount of insurance claims, has created significant difficulties for insurance companies, forcing them to re-evaluate their risk management strategy. However, the stock market turned sideways, presenting price fluctuations that revealed the scope of investors, who worried about the potential implications of the Puerto Rico disaster on the economy. The market movement accompanied the uncertainties of the island’s recovery efforts, which shows that there is a high degree of interdependence in the global financial system, and the associated risks must be appropriately managed.
The fact that Hurricane Maria caused massive ecological damage brought to the fore the concern about the effects of climate change worldwide. The hurricane’s destructive power left thousands of species of animals now being almost gone, as well as Puerto Rico’s forests, wetlands, and coastal ecosystems severely damaged. Not even biodiversity was spared in this ecological disruption, as it took a step up in the catalog of vulnerabilities to future extreme weather events. International cooperation on environmental restoration was gathered at that time, with some governments, NGOs, and environmental organizations working together (Rodríguez-Madera et al., 2021). They aimed to minimize the long-term environmental consequences of the hurricane. On the other hand, this collaborative approach Is the main driver behind the fight against natural disasters and climate change; it requests cooperation nationally and globally.
Global Response Efforts to Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria laid the international community’s noble bond in humanitarian significance that compelled it to offer assistance in the form of aid, which set the stage for the global community to empathize with other’s crises. NGOs and international organizations were integral and did not just come for relief and support the affected but also ensured that it lasted long after the disaster (Piguet, 2021). Moreover, bilateral and multi-lateral treaties smoothed the use of capital and humanitarian assistance from governments around the world and well-coordinated responses to the Puerto Rican disaster.
The widespread reaction to Category 5’s Hurricane Maria showed the challenges and successes in coordination relief activities. Although many positive comments were made, the processes of delivering assistance were complicated, and state authorities thwarted the aid of the people who needed it. On the other side, international collaborations to quell the crisis’s effect were highly effective in providing relief to the affected communities. Thanks to the coordination efforts, the key messages were highlighted regarding communication among organizations, information sharing, and flexible response methods that should be considered when dealing with intricate humanitarian problems.
Long-term efforts that to reconstruct and foster sustainable development in Puerto Rico became the focus in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The key to putting these behind the scenes is the Determination of Sustainable Development Goals and the Incorporation of Resilience-Building Initiatives. These targets concentrated on pinpointing the underlying causes of vulnerability and strengthening resilience to endure future crises by instituting robust, sustainable development practices to improve the islands’ capacity to withstand disasters. The program encompassed funding for green energy plants, a nature-based recovery plan, and the enhancement of community-driven disaster mitigation programs.
The most important thing that the recovery efforts included was addressing the vulnerabilities that were thought to contribute to future disasters so that the systems that the island depends on for its infrastructure and social systems were identified and the weaknesses were mitigated. This involved budgeting for essential investments in critical infrastructure improvement, from reinforcement of buildings and utilities to bettering emergency response capabilities to withstand extreme weather events and constructing early warning systems (Piguet, 2021). The accompanying step of social vulnerability work addressed poverty, inequality, care issues, and education to ensure communities can better handle future crises. The root cause of the problem is the fetishism of short-term economic growth, which not only defeats the purpose of development but also puts society at risk of falling apart.
In conclusion, the paper presented a detailed argument explaining the hurricane’s impact on local and global levels. It has mentioned how the country’s economy, society, and environment went through significant disruptions after the disaster. Moreover, the immediate and distant effects of the disaster did spread the points far globally. The severity of Hurricane Maria’s effects highlights the critical measure that disaster preparedness and response programs should be strengthened and implemented locally and worldwide. The story of Hurricane Maria can teach us many ways to better prepare for future disaster plagues and rise stronger through them all as a resilient society. Transcending the borders of national disasters, rendering them a phenomenon that extends on a global scale, is essential to recognize the interrelatedness of such disasters and the shared burden in helping and dealing with their repercussion. Going forward, we should reconsider that we have more collaborative, socially inclusive, and proactive measures in place to make us a more resilient and innovative civilization that can handle the world’s uncertainty in a psychologically more straightforward manner.
References
Jury, Chiao, & Cécé. (2019). The Intensification of Hurricane Maria 2017 in the Antilles. Atmosphere, 10(10), 590. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10100590
Meléndez, E., & Venator-Santiago, C. R. (2018). Puerto Rico Post-Hurricane Maria: Origins and Consequences of a Crisis. Centro Journal, 30(3), 2-10. https://www.rcsdk12.org/cms/lib/NY01001156/Centricity/Domain/11947/Hurrican%20Maria_Origins%20and%20Consequences.pdf
Miller, P. W., Kumar, A., Mote, T. L., Moraes, F. D. S., & Mishra, D. R. (2019). Persistent Hydrological Consequences of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(3), 1413–1422. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gl081591
Paget, E. (2021). Linking climate change, environmental degradation, and migration: An update after ten years. WIREs Climate Change, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.746
Rivera, J. (2020). A Content Analysis on the Phases of Emergency Management for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal, 11(1). https://stars.library.ucf.edu/urj/vol11/iss1/2?utm_source=stars.library.ucf.edu%2Furj%2Fvol11%2Fiss1%2F2&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Rodríguez-Madera, S. L., Varas-Díaz, N., Padilla, M., Grove, K., Rivera-Bustily, K., Ramos, J., Contreras-Ramirez, V., Rivera-Rodríguez, S., Vargas-Molina, R., & Santini, J. (2021). The impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico’s health system: post-disaster perceptions and experiences of health care providers and administrators. Global Health Research and Policy, 6, 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-021-00228-w
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