Puerto Rico; Puerto Rico Drought Crisis; New York Sends Water Aid; Groups Demand Fiscal Board’s Removal.

Friday, September 4, 2026. Puerto Rico: An Island With an Identity All Its Own Puerto Rico is one of those places that has always fascinated me, not only because of its beauty, culture, and people, but because of the rather unique position it occupies in our hemisphere. My own experiences with Puerto Rico go back to the 1990s, during a period when the U.S. military presence in Panama was beginning to change dramatically. As the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade began packing things up and elements of the U.S. Southern Command presence were being relocated, Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, on the eastern side of Puerto Rico, became part of that changing landscape. I was actually given the opportunity to relocate to Puerto Rico and continue working there. As attractive as the idea was, the economics simply didn’t make sense for my family at the salary being offered, and ultimately we decided against it. Nevertheless, I traveled to Puerto Rico on a number of occasions and always found it to be a wondrous place. It is a beautiful island with beautiful people, a tremendous sense of culture and history, and an identity that is very much its own. Its political identity, however, has always made Puerto Rico particularly interesting. It is not an independent country, but an unincorporated territory of the United States whose residents are U.S. citizens. It has its own constitution, elected government, traditions, symbols, and, yes, its own very recognizable flag. Yet Puerto Ricans living on the island do not vote for President in the general election and their representative in Congress, the Resident Commissioner, does not have a vote on final passage of legislation on the House floor. Years ago, while working with colleagues in the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, we used to joke about whether Puerto Rico could really be called a “country” and what that meant for things such as maps, flags, and national identity. The humor reflected a much more complicated reality: Puerto Rico doesn’t fit neatly into many of the categories we normally use to describe the nations and territories of our region. Geographically, Puerto Rico sits squarely in the Caribbean. Culturally and linguistically, its connections to Latin America and the broader Hispanic world are unmistakable. Politically and economically, however, its relationship with the United States has shaped much of its modern history. Questions of statehood, independence, and the continuation or modification of its current territorial status remain part of an ongoing political conversation. Perhaps that is what makes Puerto Rico so fascinating. It is American, Caribbean, Latin American, and distinctly Puerto Rican all at once. And anyone who has spent time there quickly realizes that its identity cannot really be explained by looking at a political map alone. This week, we turn our attention to Puerto Rico—not simply as a beautiful Caribbean island, but as a place whose geography, history, politics, security environment, and people have given it a character unlike anywhere else in our region. Brett Mikkelson Founder, B.M. Investigations, Inc. – Private Investigations in Panama TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Dolly Brings Slight Relief: Extreme Drought Eases in Puerto Rico Recent rainfall provided some relief to several of the areas most affected by drought in Puerto Rico, reducing the extent of the extreme drought category, although 82.91% of the territory remains under some level of dryness or drought. According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme drought (D3) now covers 40.99% of the territory, down from the 44.45% reported last week. The reduction amounts to 3.46 percentage points. The Drought Monitor attributed the improvement to rainfall recorded over the past several days, particularly from the passage of the remnants of former Tropical Storm Dolly. According to the weekly summary, some areas in the southeast received more than 15 centimeters of rainfall, while much of the eastern region accumulated between 5 and 7.5 centimeters. As a result, areas in the northeast and southeast that had been under extreme drought improved to severe drought (D2). Likewise, in a small portion of the southeast, conditions improved from severe drought to moderate drought (D1). Despite the improvement, extreme drought remains the most widespread classification in Puerto Rico, with large areas of the south, east, and northeast still under this category. Municipalities that appear entirely within the extreme drought zone include San Juan, Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Canóvanas, Loíza, Humacao, Juncos, Las Piedras, Gurabo, Lajas, Guánica, Peñuelas, Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel, and Aibonito. The D3 classification can result in crop losses, shortages of feed for livestock, deterioration in water quality, and declining groundwater levels. It can also disrupt daily routines and, in more severe scenarios, lead to changes in school schedules or business closures. Meanwhile, severe drought (D2) now covers 21.27% of the territory, a decrease from 22.16% last week. The difference represents 0.89 percentage points. Under this classification, the agricultural sector may face planting delays and hay shortages, while livestock producers may be required to supplement their animals’ feed. Signs of stress in trees and plants may also be observed, along with stricter water conservation measures. Meanwhile, the portion of the territory under moderate drought (D1) increased from 8.60% to 12.95%, a difference of 4.35 percentage points. This increase does not necessarily represent a deterioration in conditions, as part of the expansion of this category reflects areas that were previously under more severe drought levels and improved following the recent rainfall. Moderate drought can cause crop stress, increase the risk of wildfires, and lead to declining water levels in reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and streams. On the other hand, 7.70% of the territory remains abnormally dry (D0), unchanged from last week’s report. In Puerto Rico, this classification may reflect river and stream flows below their usual levels. Although the total area under some category of dryness or drought remains at 82.91%, the data show a reduction in the intensity of conditions in some areas of the island following the rainfall of the past several days. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE New York