Following the impact of Tropical Storm Isaiah on southern Puerto Rico, the island faces now the challenge of making a clear damage assessment and implementing the rapid response plan to swiftly assist affected families and repair damaged infrastructure.

With more than six inches of rain reported early Thursday, forecasts estimated that rain would continue until this Friday morning. Therefore, it is imperative that citizens maintain all prevention measures, such as avoiding crossing flooded roads and staying alert to the risks of water overflow and landslides in their areas.

Citizen responsibility in this first emergency for an atmospheric event in this current hurricane season has been remarkable in preparedness and during while rain and winds were impacting the island. Showing the same precautions and solidarity, it is now time to move and help those who need it most without neglecting health and safety recommendations regarding COVID-19.

Municipalities such as Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, and Rincón were the scene of urban flooding that swept away vehicles and left families trapped in their homes. More than fifty people were staying yesterday in 33 state-run shelters. These people need to feel the support and company of their fellow citizens, as well as relevant and prompt assistance from the state and municipal governments.

Meanwhile, the government will have to move immediately to assess the damage to infrastructure to swiftly repair it to avoid major impacts on citizens and the economy.

About half a million Electric Power Authority (PREPA) customers lacked power yesterday due to heavy rains and storms in our area. PREPA reported multiple damages in main transmission lines that the utility hoped to repair between yesterday and today. It is up to all the components of the public utility to join forces to restore power as soon as possible, whenever weather conditions allow it and with all the precautions to avoid damage to people.

On the other hand, there were about 150,000 customers without drinking water service due to the outages or blocked connection.  The lack of sufficient generators to keep Aqueduct and Sewer Authority´s facilities operating in case of emergencies or outages was precisely one of the factors that FEMA´s Regional Administrator pointed out in a letter to Governor Wanda Vázquez facilities in operation in case of emergencies and power outages. The corporation’s management recognized the lack, which it estimates will be gradually corrected within three years. It is important to speed up that effort.

Yesterday, the Oversight Board authorized the government to use the emergency reserve - $232 million - for 30 days to recovery efforts following the storm. These funds should be strategically and efficiently used so to have, the island better prepared for another natural event, now that the peak of the hurricane season is approaching.

The island must avoid that future natural events become physical, social, and economic disasters for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is still dealing with the ravages of two catastrophic hurricanes, a series of earthquakes over the past few months, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efficiency in the response to repair and mitigate the impact of Storm Isaiah shows how prepared the government and the different social components of Puerto Rico are for this recurring natural phenomena.