The week of September 13–19 in Puerto Rico played out in health and schools, government and politics, and daily life. Between 700,000 and 1 million people could lose Medicaid coverage in 2027, the Hospital Association warns.
On Hero’s Day, Governor González Colón honored the National Guard, which has distributed 1,259,000 gallons of water and purified and desalinated 626,029 gallons in response to the water crisis. In federal court, plea deals and a prison inspection are still pending in the Jensen Medina Cardona prison gang drug case, with the court considering a request to inspect four correctional institutions.
Half of Genera PR’s 14 temporary generation units are out of service. AARP warns that the 3.6% increase in Social Security payments may not go as far in Puerto Rico as in the United States.
The drought map dated September 15 still has 60 of 78 municipios in at least moderate drought. Elsewhere on the water map, La Plata rose 0.40 m, Cidra rose 0.28 m and Toa Vaca fell 0.01 m.
The week on the water — every reservoir’s readings, the rain over the watersheds and the pace toward the next band line — is in today’s Water Week in Review.
The week’s developments
What to watch
| Watch (From the daily Water Watch's own reading of the trend) | Why |
|---|---|
| Carraízo | whether the rise survives a dry week: this week's gain came with 5.76 in of rain nearby. |
| La Plata | whether the rise survives a dry week: this week's gain came with 2.56 in of rain nearby. |
| Cidra | whether the rise survives a dry week: this week's gain came with 6.17 in of rain nearby. |
The live picture is on the water page, the power tracker and the legislature tracker; each development above opens the full write-up. This is the 3rd Week in Puerto Rico (last week’s is here).
Sources: the linked reporting; AAA’s reservoir chart and rationing notices; the US Drought Monitor. Reservoir levels are AAA’s chart readings, and the drought map is a weekly expert synthesis of indicators, not a rainfall total.