Lack of power in Puerto Rico creates life-or-death situations for those with medical needs
The lack of power in Puerto Rico 5 days since Hurricane Fiona hit is impacting critically ill patients and their families who rely on electrical equipment.
JAYUYA, Puerto Rico — When Hurricane Fiona completely knocked out power and water to the mountain town of Jayuya, in the heart of Puerto Rico, it quickly became a life-or-death matter for Luis De Jesús Ramos, who has throat cancer and a tracheostomy.
De Jesús Ramos is one of many Puerto Ricans for whom electricity is essential to survival, and each day without it brings an increasing sense of urgency.
He relies on life-saving electricity for everything: from using a blender to prepare his liquid meals, a refrigerator to keep his food, an adjustable bed that keeps him in the positions he needs to be in to sleep safely, and the medical supplies required to maintain and care for his tracheostomy.
Although he can no longer speak, De Jesús Ramos, 63, a bald man with patches of white in his beard, gestured around his home on Thursday in a white T-shirt and striped flannel pajamas as he pointed out each piece of the puzzle needed to maintain his health needs.
Luis De Jesús Ramos, 63, and his daughter Ashly Pérez, 26, in their home in Jayuya, Puerto Rico.Daniella Silva / NBC News“He really needs these things. It’s an emergency,” his daughter Ashly Perez, 26, said in Spanish, speaking from the ground floor of his family’s home up a winding road in Jayuya, a region where landslides cut off roads and left bright brown mud, downed trees and split branches.
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