Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis started long before the hurricane hit the shores of the island. Years of austerity-driven measures ​made the island ill-prepared to respond to​ ​natural​ ​disasters and forced almost 10% of Puerto Ricans to leave the island.  

After Hurricane María, the crisis became a life or death situation. The local and federal government’s response was one of intentional neglect. People did not receive the basic necessities many months after Hurricane María, and well over a year later, many people were without drinking water and power.  Since María, conditions have worsened because of earthquakes, the pandemic, and a lack of government response, resulting in over 200,000 Puerto Ricans having to leave the island. Cities in the United States have seen tens–if not hundreds–of thousands of new domestic climate refugees —refugees in need of housing, education, and jobs.