>>> IT'S BEEN HALF A YEAR SINCE

HURRICANE MARIA DEVASTATED

PUERTO RICO.

RECOVERY HAS BEEN TANTALIZINGLY

SLOW.

PUERTO RICO SUFFERED SERIOUS

DANGEROUS, AND WITH POWER CUTS,

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM REMAINS

BELEAGUERED.

BUT WITH CHASING THE DREAM, WE

WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT A NEW

PROGRAM AT NYU WHICH IS OFFERING

RESPITE TO 50 OF THEIR BRIGHTEST

AND BEST STUDENTS.

FOR JOURNALISM STUDENT ANNA

GARCIA, MUCH-NEEDED STABILITY.

THEY RECALL THE NIGHT THEE EYE F

THE HURRICANE SWEPT OVER THE

ISLAND.

>> IT WAS SO INCREDIBLY SCARY.

WE HAVE GRLASS DOORS.

WE WERE SO SCARED THEY WERE

GOING TO EXPLODE.

MY DAD SPENT THE WHOLE NIGHT

JUST HOLDING ONTO THOSE DOORS.

HE TRIED TO EVEN TIE IT TO LIKE

OUR COUCH.

BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK, OBVIOUSLY,

AND THINKEY ALL BROKE, AND ALL

WATER CAME IN AND FLOODED THAT

PART OF THE HOUSE.

>> HURRICANE MARIA SLAMMING INTO

THE ISLAND, AND AS YOU HEARD,

ONE OFFICIAL SAYING THE ISLAND

IS DESTROYED.

>> THE U.S. TERRITORY IS A VAST

SCENE OF WRECKAGE.

>> OFFICIALS PREDICT ENTIRE

TOWNS WILL HAVE TO BE REBUILT.

>> WHAT I REMEMBER MOST IS GOING

OUTSIDE AND SEEING THE

DESTRUCTION.

THE CRAZIEST PART FOR ME WAS THE

LINES AT THE GASOLINE STATIONS.

>> THESE PEOPLE HAVE SLEPT IN

THEIR CAR OVERNIGHT.

THIS FAMILY RIGHT HIERE HAVE BEN

IN LINE SINCE 9:00 A.M.

YESTERDAY MORNING.

>> PEOPLE WERE KILLING EACH

OTHER OVER GAS.

PEOPLE WERE, YOU KNOW, STEALING

THE GAS FROM THE TRUCKS.

THEY ACTUALLY, LIKE, ASSAULTED

THE DRIVERS AND EVERYTHING.

IT WAS CRAZY.

YOU COULD JUST BE IN THE LINE

GETTING GAS AND SOMEONE COULD

COME AND SHOOT YOU OVER IT.

>> SHE WAS INTERNING IN CONGRESS

AT THE TIME AND LIVING IN

WASHINGTON.

WITH PUERTO RICO LEFT IN THE

DARK AND HER FAMILY LIVING IN A

REMOTE PART OF THE ISLAND,

COMMUNICATION WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

>> I DIDN'T HEAR MY MOTHER'S

W

VOICE IN A WEEK, AND JUST NOT

KNOWING ANYTHING.

LIKE IT WAS LEFT IN A STATE OF

CHAOS.

>> ALMOST A WEEK AFTER MARIA

HIT, SOME ISOLATED TOWNS HAVE

NOT BEEN HEARD FROM AT ALL.

IT'S IN THOSE CASES, CUT OFF

FROM THE REST OF THE ISLAND AND

THE WORLD WHERE SOME FEAR THE

LOSS OF LIFE.

>> I WOULD CRY AT ANYTHING.

I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE MY DESK A

LITTLE BIT, CLEAN UP THE MAKEUP,

GO BACK AND BE OKAY.

>> ALMOST A WEEK AFTER THE

HURRICANE PASSED, ONE OF HER

FRIENDS WAS ABLE TO REACH HER

FAMILY HOME.

HER MOTHER AT THE TIME, STUCK IN

A LONG GAS LINE IN THE CAPITAL,

SAN JUAN.

HER DAD AT HOME, FOUND SAFE AND

SOUND.

>> THE BACK OF MY HOUSE WAS A

DISASTER, BUT IT WAS JUST GOOD

TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY

WERE OKAY.

AND THAT JUST MEANS EVERYTHING

AFTER BEING SO MUCH TIME WITHOUT

ANY KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR PEOPLE YOU

LOVE.

>> THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO

HAS 11 CAMPUSES SPREAD ACROSS

THE ISLAND.

ALL OF THEM WERE CRIPPLED BY THE

HURRICANE.

>> THE BUILDING WHERE I TAKE ALL

MY COMMUNICATIONS CLASSES, IT

WAS THE WORST ONE.

IT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED

BECAUSE THE ROOF, THE WATER

STARTED COMING IN AND DESTROYED

ALL THE COMPUTER S, ALL THE

DOCUMENTS, EVERYTHING.

>> SO MANY OF MY FRIENDS WHEN

THEY WOULD SPEAK ABOUT IT, CAN

YOU SEE HOW DEVASTATED AND HOW

IT HAD AFFECTED THEM.

>> I THINK THIS PAST YEAR WITH

THE PUERTO RICO'S BANKRUPTCY,

THE CUTS TO THE UNIVERSITY AND

HURRICANE MARIA, LIKE A LOT OF

PRESSURE HAS BEEN ON THE STUDENT

POPULATION SPECIFIC.

I DON'T KNOW.

IT CHANGES PEOPLE.

THEY'RE NOT AS CAREFREE AS THEY

USED TO BE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE MORE

FEARFUL AND THEY'RE A LOT MORE

STRESSED.

AND THAT'S SAD, AND THAT'S

DANGEROUS.

>> DURING HER CONGRESSIONAL

INTERNSHIP, SHE WITNESSED THE

POLITICAL BATTLE ENSUE OVER

HURRICANE RELIEF FUNDING.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, SMENATE

LEADERS VOTED FOR A HURRICANE

RELIEF BILL.

BUT THE PACKAGE FELL SHORT OF

WHAT PUERTO RICAN OFFICIALS

REQUESTED.

>> IT'S VERY UNFAIR, I THINK,

THE WAY PUERTO RICO WAS TREATED.

IT DOES NOT HAVE THE ECONOMIC

AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS TO

RECOVER ON ITS OWN.

>> THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S

RESPONSE TO PUERTO RICO'S

TRAGEDY AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

HAS BEEN INADEQUATE, HAS BEEN

INSUFFICIENT.

>> IT'S A VERY POLITICAL THING,

BECAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, PUERTO

RICANS OR AT LEAST PUERTO RICAN

RESIDENTS THAT LIVE ON THE

ISLAND, THEY CAN'T VOTE FOR A

CONGRESS MEMBER.

SO THAT SAME POLITICIAN DOESN'T

FEEL INCLINED OR THAT

RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING AID TO

PUERTO RICO, BECAUSE MOST

PROBABLY, THEY WON'T GET THE

BACKLASH.

>> NOW I HATE TO TELL YOU,

PUERTO RICO, BUT YOU'VE THROWN

OUR BUDGET A LITTLE OUT OF

WHACK, BECAUSE WE SPENT A LOT OF

MONEY ON PUERTO RICO.

>> I THINK THE ANGRIEST I'VE

EVER BEEN WAS WHEN MY MOM CALLED

MY, AND SHE'S LIKE OH, I MADE A

GIGANTIC LINE, THEY GAVE ME A

BOTTLE OF WATER, LIKE A HERSHEY

BAR AND A CAN OF PRINGLES.

IT'S JUST BEYOND WHAT PEOPLE HAD

TO GO THROUGH AND HOW THEY WERE

TREATED WHILE CONGRESS DECIDED

IT WAS FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR

THEM TO HELP AND WHAT WASN'T.

SO I JUST THINK IT WAS BARBARIC.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST

IMPORTANT FOR OUR VIEWERS TO

KNOW ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION

IN PUERTO RICO?

>> RIGHT NOW?

I THINK THAT LIKE THE WORD TO

DESCRIBE PUERTO RICO SITUATIONS

IS INSTABILITY.

PEOPLE RIGHT NOW, THEY HAVE THE

LOWEST RESOURCES THEY HAVE.

SO MANY BUSINESSES WERE

DESTROYED.

SO MANY HOUSES WERE DESTROYED.

AND YET PRICES ARE GOING UP LIKE

CRAZY.

IT'S RIDICULOUS HOW PEOPLE ARE

EXPECTED TO LIVE IN THESE

CIRCUMSTANCES AND BE OKAY.

>> PEOPLE ARE STILL SUFFERING,

PEOPLE STILL TEDON'T HAVE POWER.

SOME STILL DON'T HAVE WATER.

SUICIDES IN PUERTO RICO HAVE

RISEN, AND THAT'S SOMETHING

THAT'S REALLY SCARY AND

HORRIBLE.

WE TRIED TO PUSH THROUGH.

AND WE'RE VERY, YOU KNOW, WE TRY

TO MAINTAIN OUR HOPES AND OUR

HAPPINESS, EVEN THOUGH WE GO

THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THESE REALLY

HARD TIMES, BECAUSE THAT'S OUR

SPIRIT.

THAT'S WHO WE ARE.

AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT.

I'M VERY PROUD TO BE A PUERTO

RICAN.

>> TO ENSURE PUERTO RICO'S

UNIVERSITIES ARE NOT NEGATIVELY

IMPACTED.

ANNA AND THE OTHER STUDENTS

ATTENDING NYU AT NO COST ARE

EXPECTED TO PAY THEIR TUITION TO

THEIR HOME CAMPUS.

BUT WITH THE UNIVERSITY

SUFFERING, WHAT DOES THE CAREER

LOOK LIKE FOR PUERTO RICO'S

YOUNGEST AND BRIGHTEST.