5 years after Maria, reconstruction drags on in Puerto Rico


              A trailer message board cautions drivers with a message that reads in Spanish: "Strong swells and currents", at the entrance of Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Nearly five years ago Hurricane Maria damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and killed an estimated 2,975 people in its sweltering aftermath after razing the island’s power grid. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Jetsabel Osorio secures a door of her home damaged by Hurricane Maria nearly five years ago, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Some Puerto Ricans have opted to rebuild themselves instead of waiting for government help they feel will never come. Osorio said her family bought a tarp and zinc panels out of their own pocket and set up a new roof over their second floor. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Nearly five years after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, pieces of blue roof tarp litter the ground in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. The government has completed only 21% of more than 5,500 post-hurricane projects. In addition, more than 3,600 homes still have a tattered blue tarp serving as a makeshift roof. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Virmisa Rivera stands outside or home damaged by Hurricane Maria nearly five years ago, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. “My house is falling apart,” she said, adding that the government said it would move her to a new home in another neighborhood since they can’t repair hers because it’s in a flood zone. But Rivera worries she will die if she moves: She takes medication day and uses an oxygen tank. Her family lives next door, which gives her security since she now lives alone. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Virmisa Rivera holds an envelope with the amount of money she was given to repair her hurricane-damaged home in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. She said FEMA also gave her $1,600 to rent a house while they repaired her roof, but no crews came by. The government said it would move her to a new home in another neighborhood since they can’t repair hers because it’s in a flood zone. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Virmisa Rivera poses for a photo in her home that was damaged by Hurricane Maria nearly five years ago, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. She said FEMA gave her money to rent a house while they repaired her roof, but no crews came by. Her boyfriend attempted to install zinc panels, but they don’t protect from heavy rain. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              A utility pole with loose cables towers over the home of Jetsabel Osorio in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. Crews only recently started to rebuild the power grid with more than $9 billion of federal funds as island-wide blackouts and daily power outages persist. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Aerial view of Jetsabel Osorio's home and her neighborhood in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Thousands of homes, roads and recreational areas have yet to be fixed or rebuilt since Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. territory nearly five years ago. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
            
              Jetsabel Osorio leans against a doorway in her hurricane-battered home, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, no one has offered her family a plastic tarp or zinc panels to replace the roof that the Category 4 storm ripped off the two-story home tucked in an impoverished corner in the north coastal town of Loiza. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
5 years after Maria, reconstruction drags on in Puerto Rico