Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Puerto Rico Crippled Before Hurricane Hit
Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
12 Dec 2017
🖨️ Print Article

Harsh austerity measures imposed by a federal financial oversight board set Puerto Rico up for disaster, said Lara Merling, a researcher for the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. A new study shows about 1,000 more deaths resulted from Hurricane Irma than were officially reported. “It’s not surprising that the Puerto Rican government had no ability to respond” to the storm, as a result of the spending cuts, said Merling.

Puerto Rico

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio March 6, 2026
06 March 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss past and present U.S.
Puerto Rico independence movement
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and Struggle for Independence in Puerto Rico
06 March 2026
Brianna Alvarado Ramos of Diaspora Pa’lante Collective discusses the challenges
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 19, 2025
20 September 2025
In this week’s segment, we discuss a new book that analyzes the latest iteration of fascism currently emerging in the United States.

More Stories


  • How Cuba Is Eradicating Child Mortality and Banishing the Diseases of the Poor
    Vijay Prashad, Manolo De Los Santos
    How Cuba Is Eradicating Child Mortality and Banishing the Diseases of the Poor
    13 Jul 2022
    To move from 59 infant deaths out of every 1,000 live births to no infant deaths in the matter of a few decades is an extraordinary feat.
  • U.S.-led Imperialism is the World’s Leading Purveyor of Chaos
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    U.S.-led Imperialism is the World’s Leading Purveyor of Chaos
    13 Jul 2022
    The western capitalist axis of domination is responsible for most of the world's crises. The crisis of legitimacy extends from the UK to Japan, and U.S. imperialism is involved in every new…
  • Drunken Count Ghouliani took the fifth the 6th—low Barr last days of Pompeo… (For Amiri)
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Drunken Count Ghouliani took the fifth the 6th—low Barr last days of Pompeo… (For Amiri)
    13 Jul 2022
    Drunken Count Ghouliani took the fifth the 6th—low Barr last days of Pompeo… (For Amiri)
  • One Year After a Brutal Crackdown, the Struggle for Democracy Remains Alive in Swaziland
    Tanupriya Singh
    One Year After a Brutal Crackdown, the Struggle for Democracy Remains Alive in Swaziland
    13 Jul 2022
    June 29 was observed as a day of commemoration in Swaziland to honor the dozens of people killed by the forces of King Mswati III during the unprecedented anti-monarchist uprising of 2021
  • The Black Alliance For Peace Denounces Biden Regime’s New Sanctions on Cuba and Stands with the Cuban People
    Black Alliance For Peace
    The Black Alliance For Peace Denounces Biden Regime’s New Sanctions on Cuba and Stands with the Cuban People
    13 Jul 2022
    Black Alliance for Peace condemns U.S. sanctions on Cuba and supports self-determination and sovereignty for that nation.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us