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Puerto Rico's governor sets goal to restore island's power by December

Rebuilding a hurricane-ravaged house in Puerto Rico. Photo: Ramon Espinosa / AP

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló hopes to make sure 95% of the island has power by December 15. His goal is to restore power to 30% of Puerto Rico by the end of October and to 50% by November 15, Rosselló said at a press conference. Currently, only 15% of Puerto Rico has electricity after Hurricane Maria destroyed power lines across the entire island.

Rosselló's quote: "This is an aggressive agenda but we cannot be sort of passive in the face of Puerto Rico's challenges. We are going to need all hands on deck."

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The state of recovery

The state of recovery:

  • Authorities initially estimated it would take 6 months to a year to get Puerto Rico's power grid, which was already in disrepair, up and running.
  • FEMA says 19,000 military and civilian rescue workers are in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, per NBC.
  • The death toll in Puerto Rico has risen to 48, with residents killed both directly by the storm and by exposure to contaminated water in the weeks since, per AP.
  • As of Saturday, 64% of the island has access to clean water, NBC reports.
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