In Fiona-ravaged Puerto Rico, hospitals were prioritized over health clinics for diesel, exacerbating rural health disparities
When Hurricane Fiona knocked out power across the entire island of Puerto Rico, hospitals turned to diesel-fueled generators to keep the lights on and critical machines running.
Community health centers — often the most accessible medical facilities in the poorest districts of the island, those hardest hit by hurricanes — couldn’t immediately do the same. Some had to wait 10 days or more to buy the fuel they needed. Others cut their hours way down. As the diesel supplies dwindled, they prayed.
