Rebuilding Puerto Rico

By Vince Hancock
Ellsworth County I-R

Tales of relief efforts from Puerto Rico continue to unfold, as Kansans and others pitch in. In most cases, the stories show the power of large entities to respond to natural disasters. In other cases, they underscore the interconnectedness between mainland and offshore commerce.

Due to tax incentives enacted by Congress in the mid 1970s, many large industries, included pharmaceutical companies, expanded to the island. Two months after Hurricane Maria hit, the Ellsworth County Medical Center was among those facing an IV fluid shortage, as companies based in Puerto Rico develop the majority of those fluids. ECMC CEO Roger Masse said it was a common problem throughout the American medical system.

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