Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico

Michael Deibert is a journalist, author, and Visiting Fellow at Franklin and Marshall College. His articles have been published in The Guardian, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Le Monde Diplomatique, Folha de S.Paulo, and World Policy Journal, among other outlets. He has been a regularly featured commentator BBC, NPR, France 24, and KPFK Pacifica Radio. Deibert is the author of Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti; The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair; In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico; and Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History. When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico is latest book. When Hurricane Maria roared across Puerto Rico in September 2017, it devastated the island. It was an unprecedented natural disaster, a category 5 major hurricane, and ultimately responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 people. It also ripped away the facade that had dominated discussions of the island's relationship with the United States for over a century. Using a blend of history and on-the-ground reportage, Michael Delbert pulls back the veil of the island known for its powdery beaches, rainforests, and sunsets to reveal the trajectory for the decisions that set it on the path to disaster. In doing so, he also reveals the stories of everyday heroism, compassion, and unexpected joy that have defined the island before and after Maria.