From Hurricane Fiona to Hurricane Ian

Climate change is making extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and heat waves stronger, more common, and last longer. Recent storms in the Caribbean and North America have caused a lot of damage. The most recent news is that Hurricane Ian has left two million people in Florida without power after breaking Cuba’s electrical grid.

Hurricane Fiona, which first hit Puerto Rico and then hit the coast of Atlantic Canada, is an unusual case because storms don’t usually have such strong winds this far north. This shows how warmer seas are linked to stronger storms.

Countries like Puerto Rico, which are at the most risk from these events, are often the least prepared to deal with them because their critical infrastructure isn’t very good. Widespread, long-lasting power outages put people’s lives in danger and show where the system is weak. Not only is it important to protect people from natural disasters, but it’s also a chance to find long-term solutions that can help stop climate change.

Between the years 2000 and 2021, about 83% of major power outages in the US were caused by weather-related events. In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused the largest blackout in US history and the second largest in the world. The northeastern Caribbean, including the US territory of Puerto Rico, was destroyed by this event.

What kind of damage has the hurricane done to Puerto Rico?

About 3 million people live in Puerto Rico, and they are still feeling the terrible effects of Hurricane Maria. Since Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017, the Associated Press says that the government has only finished “21% of more than 5,500 official post-hurricane projects,” and seven of the island’s 78 municipalities say that no projects have even started.

On September 18, 2022, almost five years to the day, Hurricane Fiona hit the island, further damaging its already weak and old electrical infrastructure. According to the US Department of Energy, about 1.37 million customers (93% of all customers) lost power in the territory within the first 24 hours. After almost 10 days, about 33% of the island’s customers (about 491,000) were still without power.

On the island, power outages are nothing new. The company in charge of Puerto Rico’s energy supply, LUMA Energy, was recently sold to private investors. The company has been criticised for frequent power outages and rate hikes, which have led to protests. Puerto Rico needs reliable, cheap power that can handle the effects of climate change and help the island become less reliant on fossil fuels.

Solar energy projects help people stay strong and get better.

Because it gets sunlight all year round, Puerto Rico is in a good position to switch to renewable energy, especially solar power. On the island, there are many examples of community groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) helping people get solar power.

Since 1999, Casa Pueblo has been at the front of the clean energy movement in Puerto Rico by running on solar power. The environmental group has set up a lot of solar energy systems, so when Hurricane Fiona hit, people had a backup source of power. In one case, a family was able to keep their daughter on dialysis, which was saving her life. The goal of the organisation is to get 50% of the island’s energy from solar power. Since 2018, the group has trained dozens of women to install solar panels, which helps to make sure that everyone gets back on their feet.

Solar Responders is another non-profit group with a clear goal: to make sure “no lives are lost because first responders don’t have electricity.” The group was started after Hurricane Maria and gives fire stations solar installations and ways to store power. Recognizing that disaster response and a weak energy grid are ongoing problems, they have so far provided solar solutions to 19 stations, producing 260 kWh of power, providing backup power for more than 1000 hours, and helping 335,000 people.

The US-based Footprint project is focused on finding green ways to help people after disasters. For example, it provides mobile solar power so that first responders can get power and help people in need. After a series of earthquakes hit the island in January 2020, they used solar generators to help with relief work. Using clean energy, responders were able to power and recharge important devices, communication gear, and lighting.

Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaa is the first electric power cooperative on the island. It runs a solar project with the goal of putting hundreds of photovoltaic systems on the roofs of local businesses and community centres. The organisation is in a great position to help low-income and often disenfranchised people in the area because of its cooperative model. The Executive Director of the cooperative, C.P. Smith had this to say about the development of renewable energy projects in these kinds of communities:

“In order for renewable energy projects to be available to a wide range of vulnerable and low-resource communities, each stakeholder needs to know what their role is. Instead of donating whole systems, the government and NGOs should buy down the cost of the system to make the total project cost affordable for communities with few natural resources.”

These examples show what can be done to use clean energy solutions, both as a way to deal with disasters and as a long-term solution. But right now, most of the work on these projects is done by non-profits.

What can we learn about life from Puerto Rico?

In response to Hurricane Fiona, the Biden administration has said it will continue to help Puerto Rico with ongoing relief efforts. This includes helping with emergency response, getting power back on quickly, and investing in long-term climate resilience. But it is clear that the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) need to do more to help rebuild communities and invest in long-term solutions.

Solar energy can be a real lifeline for places like Puerto Rico that depend on fossil fuels but have unstable, old infrastructure. Governments and businesses can work together to increase the use of clean energy that works. Not only is it important to keep the lights on, but it’s also important to move quickly toward Sustainable Development Goal 7, which says that every person has the right to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.