Consequently, radio stations in Puerto Rico are prepared with power generators, several Internet providers, and engineers that provide maintenance for the equipment (Rodríguez-Cotto 2017 5). Currently, radio stations in Puerto Rico are responsible for broadcasting the Emergency Alert System, which warns the public about local weather emergencies. Radio is the medium used by the government of Puerto Rico during weather related emergencies. In addition, disaster and crisis communication studies need to be firmly placed within the specific cultural and language contexts in which those events take place.
#Hurricane maria full#
Similarly, studies on hurricane impacts have examined the issue cross-sectionally, with few studies examining media practices during the full recovery period (e.g.
Previous research on disaster reporting has taken place within relatively short-term scenarios, such as the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, tornadoes, or floods. This also represented an uncommon scenario for journalists and news producers. The devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico represents an unusual case study because of the extensive loss of power and the long recovery effort. In this project we examine current infrastructure and journalistic barriers that prevent media organizations from fulfilling their intended role of accurate information dissemination in disaster situations. Part of this discussion should include the current and potential roles played by news media organizations in either allowing or preventing the spread of fact-based information that might keep people from engaging in high-risk behaviors, such as drinking contaminated water, or help promote desirable behaviors, such as seeking shelter or medical assistance. News outlets such as The New York Times and the Washington Post recently reported that the inadequacies in the Federal Emergency Management Agency response to Hurricane Maria was due to the singularity of the scenario, one in which there was “widespread poverty and a weak local response capacity and extreme logistical obstacles” (Konyndyk 2017 3). The death toll after Hurricane Maria continued to climb as a result of the inadequate disaster response. In this unique scenario, we investigated how radio stations and journalists performed their functions, which will allow us to expand theoretical understandings of media practices and develop practical tools to improve communication responses to future natural disasters-especially when it comes to vulnerable populations. The slow recovery period represents a challenge to these media as they try to not only rebuild their damaged infrastructure, but also to develop ways to perform their roles under the circumstances. Media organizations in Puerto Rico faced unprecedented challenges. Part of the communities’ fragility and the slowness of response and recovery efforts was caused by the interruption of reliable information channels. Audiences were able to follow the events related to Hurricane Maria thanks to battery operated radio receivers. Some reporters continued to broadcast even when the winds ripped off their radio station’s roof (Mazzei 2017 2). Local radio, however, maintained operations and continued reporting on the hurricane’s path, the destruction, and recovery efforts. Throughout the emergency, social media, television, and online communications were cut off across the island. Thousands of people were left homeless and the territory’s infrastructure was severely damaged due to heavy winds and catastrophic flooding (Ferre-Sadurni and Ramzy 2017 1).
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, cutting electricity and basic infrastructure such as phone and Internet communications. Mary Fran Myers Gender and Disaster Award.
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