Three months after Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico at 155 mph, approximately one-third of the devastated island is still without electricity. FEMA has called it the "largest federal response to a disaster" in American history yet on the eve of Christmas day only 65 percent of the island has power, with the rest expected to be restored May.
Food shortages persist, water supply remains unreliable and some 450 people are seeing themselves forced to spend the holiday season in shelters or makeshift homes.
Despite the slow-moving reconstruction efforts the number of federal personnel providing assistance has dwindled to just 5,405 with FEMA responders stretched thin as the organisation operates in other areas including California, Texas and Florida.
In addition to the exhausting reconstruction effort, Puerto Ricans are also grappling with a death toll that could soon surpass that of Katrina. According to two reports the number of deaths could be as high as 1,502 while the official number remains 64. A recount was ordered by the island's governor Ricardo Rossello.
The devastation and insufficient aid has triggered a mass exodus from the island. The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at the City University of New York estimates that over 470,335 residents will have left by the end of 2019 - that's 14 percent of the population.
For those who can afford it Florida is set to become the most popular destination, with an estimated annual flow of between 40,000 and 82,000 people. This is likely to pose accommodation challenges for the peninsula.
The new tax bill that is meant to keep companies from shifting profits to other countries to avoid paying taxes would affect Puerto Rico because the US territory is considered a foreign jurisdiction for tax purposes, even though its 3.4 million residents are American citizens.
Even before Maria laid waste to the island three months ago, Puerto Rico was contending with $72 billion in debt. Rossello has asked the U.S. government for a total of $94.4 billion in aid, including $31.1 billion for housing and $17.8 billion to rebuild the ruined power grid.
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Read more:
US hurricane season 2017 most costly ever - so far
After Hurricane Maria, Sharapova heading to Puerto Rico to help with relief work
Trump to visit Puerto Rico amid growing war of words
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
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Company%20Profile
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