EastCoastmetal
Silver Member
- Sep 24, 2016
- 3,879
- 4,230
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT Pro International
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Yes, yes it can happen. System down situation.
Electricity, Internet access and cell phone service have been off line in parts of Puerto Rico for a whole week. And with the island still struggling to rescue people stranded in remote villages, those managing the emergency recovery effort have yet to focus their attentions on the monumental task that looms ahead: Rebuilding the island’s devastated infrastructure, from communications to sewers and water treatment plants that have been damaged by flash flooding and 155 mph winds that Hurricane Maria visited upon the island.
The damage, as Bloomberg reports, has essentially knocked Puerto Rico’s economy back into the 1950s. For locals who’re struggling to begin the process of rebuilding their damaged homes, shops across the island are only accepting cash.
The cash economy has reigned in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria decimated much of the U.S. commonwealth last week, leveling the power grid and wireless towers and transporting the island to a time before plastic existed. The state of affairs could carry on for weeks or longer in some remote parts of the commonwealth, and that means it could be impossible to trace revenue and enforce tax rules.
And after a week without power, the few ATMs on the island that still work have run dry, while most others are simply out of service.
As Bloomberg reports, many Puerto Ricans were still living off what money they thought to withdraw ahead of the storm. When a branch of Banco Popular in San Juan opened on Monday morning, the line stretched about 200 people deep for banking and ATM services. People fanned themselves with whatever they could find and held umbrellas against the sun.
Some store owners, even those in areas of San Juan that are heavily policed, worry that carrying so much cash could leave them vulnerable to a robbery.
Ultimately, turning the ATMs back on probably ranks lower on the island’s list of priorities than, say, keeping the diesel generators that are powering hospitals in operation, or evacuating 70,000 people from a river valley in danger of being flooded after a nearby dam failed.
Depending on how long outages persist, Puerto Ricans in some areas may need to resort to bartering for essential goods, as residents find ever more creative ways to transact in the absence of modern technology.
Hurricane Maria Has Transformed Puerto Rico Into A "Cash Only" Economy | Zero Hedge
Electricity, Internet access and cell phone service have been off line in parts of Puerto Rico for a whole week. And with the island still struggling to rescue people stranded in remote villages, those managing the emergency recovery effort have yet to focus their attentions on the monumental task that looms ahead: Rebuilding the island’s devastated infrastructure, from communications to sewers and water treatment plants that have been damaged by flash flooding and 155 mph winds that Hurricane Maria visited upon the island.
The damage, as Bloomberg reports, has essentially knocked Puerto Rico’s economy back into the 1950s. For locals who’re struggling to begin the process of rebuilding their damaged homes, shops across the island are only accepting cash.
The cash economy has reigned in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria decimated much of the U.S. commonwealth last week, leveling the power grid and wireless towers and transporting the island to a time before plastic existed. The state of affairs could carry on for weeks or longer in some remote parts of the commonwealth, and that means it could be impossible to trace revenue and enforce tax rules.
And after a week without power, the few ATMs on the island that still work have run dry, while most others are simply out of service.
As Bloomberg reports, many Puerto Ricans were still living off what money they thought to withdraw ahead of the storm. When a branch of Banco Popular in San Juan opened on Monday morning, the line stretched about 200 people deep for banking and ATM services. People fanned themselves with whatever they could find and held umbrellas against the sun.
Some store owners, even those in areas of San Juan that are heavily policed, worry that carrying so much cash could leave them vulnerable to a robbery.
Ultimately, turning the ATMs back on probably ranks lower on the island’s list of priorities than, say, keeping the diesel generators that are powering hospitals in operation, or evacuating 70,000 people from a river valley in danger of being flooded after a nearby dam failed.
Depending on how long outages persist, Puerto Ricans in some areas may need to resort to bartering for essential goods, as residents find ever more creative ways to transact in the absence of modern technology.
Hurricane Maria Has Transformed Puerto Rico Into A "Cash Only" Economy | Zero Hedge
unfairly socialism which does n´t work for the most hard working people who get 
