Puerto Ricans return to school, most without power
A view of one the classrooms filled with mud at the Luis M. Santiago school, which remains closed while the department of education resumes classes during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.
While Krop students walked into a debris-free school with power on Tuesday, October 25, some Puerto Rican children had a different experience: returning to school after a month of hurricane cleanup to destroyed classrooms. According to the Miami Herald, 119 of the more than 1,000 schools reopened in Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
Most of the schools that opened their doors were without power, air conditioning or internet access. Six weeks after students set foot in schools, the reopening process began in only two municipalities: San Juan and Mayagüez.
Like Dade County public schools, more than 70 of Puerto Rico’s schools are shelters for families, while 190 are community centers, according to CNN.
“Nearly 30,000 employees returned to work on Monday,” Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Education Julia Keleher said in a video posted on Facebook. “San Juan and Mayagüez will open on Monday the 23rd, and we will open two additional regions each week.”
A graphic posted on the Puerto Rican Department of Education’s Facebook page indicates facilities’ hours of operation. English translation: Official hours for open schools, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and hours of community centers, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Keleher said the Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating schools’ infrastructure and the department is working with experts to estimate the cost of reconstruction.