Puerto Rico is in danger of being without power once again when it is inevitably hit by another hurricane — be it this season or years from now, reports the Associated Press.
Why it matters: The United States spent $3.8 billion to get Puerto Rico's power system running again following damage caused by Hurricane Maria, but the system is in such bad shape that it's at risk of suffering more damage if another hurricane were to strike the island before it can be properly fixed.
Maria was the most intense such storm to hit the island in at least 80 years, but a weaker storm could still hobble the grid.
Many of the repairs made to the grid have replaced years of neglect to Puerto Rico's power grid, but funding hasn't been able to reach every spot across the island.
By the numbers: It is inevitable that a massive storm will hit the country again — though the island may be spared this season.
What they're saying: Puerto Rico is considering selling its infrastructure system to a private company or companies and have it finance its repairs in time for the next storm, the report says. A sale could happen as early as this week.
The bottom line: If another storm hits Puerto Rico this year, thousands of people will be without power and it would cost billions to get the power grid back to the state its currently in. The federal government would continue to fund repairs even if the system is sold.
