That time of the year
Tropical Storm Ernesto is making its way towards the island.
Buenos días. If you're like us, you can't wait to get into the back-to-school season. With the beginning of school approaching, we could all savor personal free time, after spending the summer with the kids.
But every party needs a pooper… who invited Ernesto anyway?
TROPICAL STORM WARNING:
Ernesto is coming – here’s 3 things you need to know
Although Tropical Storm Ernesto is continuing to churn its way north to in the Atlantic, forecasters warned the indirect impact of the storm will bring floods and landslides in Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra.
Therefore the start of public and some private school classes has been postponed until further notice.
“We cannot let our guard down,” Nino Correa, Puerto Rico's emergency management commissioner, said at a news conference.
1. Ernesto will bring lots of rain, flooding
The National Weather Service in San Juan, estimated between six to eight inches of rain are expected, with higher amounts in isolated areas.
They also warned of hurricane-strength wind gusts as the storm is expected to hit northeast Puerto Rico Wednesday, with winds that range between 39 and 57 miles per hour (mph), according to the Hurricane Center.
Officials urged people to prepare and stay alert, given ongoing uncertainties over the approaching system. “This trajectory is not written in stone and will be changing,” they said.
2. National Guard Activated
If things worsen, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said more than 340 shelters across the island would be available if necessary and that more than 200 personnel with the National Guard were activated.
Pierluisi also said he requested access to the $1.3 billion Emergency Fund from the Fiscal Oversight Board (FOMB).
3. Expect power outages
Officials also warned the tropical storm would cause widespread power outages, given the fragile state of the power grid, which crews are still rebuilding after Hurricane Maria struck the island in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm.
“That's a reality,” said Juan Saca, president of LUMA Energy, the private company that operates the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico.
BEACH EROSION
Coastal Lands Are At Risk of Disappearing Due to the Rising Sea Levels
One of Puerto Rico's oceanfront municipalities most impacted by rising sea levels, beach erosion, and coastal flooding is Arecibo (50 miles from San Juan), according to the Puerto Rico Coastal Research and Planning Institute (CoRePI) at the University of Puerto Rico's Graduate School of Planning. These issues have gotten worse since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Maggie Colón lives there and constantly experiences threats from coastal erosion. The threat Maggie perceives has also become a reality for Liliana Acabá Cruz in the nearby Islote neighborhood. In March 2019, the 38-year-old returned home to find a wave surge that reached the road, she told the Center for Investigative Journalism.
Oceanographer Aurelio Mercado, Puerto Rico saw an annual rise in sea level of six millimeters between 2010 and 2017. The Caribbean Sea Level Center predicts that by the middle of the century, the sea level will rise an additional 12 inches, and by the end of the century, it could rise as much as eight feet.
After four years of planning, the $36 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was used to finance the installation of two breakwaters as a potential remedy. The breakwaters, which are 1,700 feet long for Barrio Obrero and 2,700 feet long in front of the Radioville community, are still in the design stage and could take years to complete due to a lengthy list of studies.
Based on data from the 2020 Census, 60% of Puerto Rico's 3.2 million citizens reside in its 44 coastal towns.
Arecibo is distinct in that it is among the top five coastal municipalities at risk of coastal flooding because of the loss of sand dunes, coral reefs, and beaches. It also ranked third in shoreline mobility.
PRO-WORKER RULINGS
New Labor Regulations Soon-to-be Laws, Flying Under the Radar in Puerto Rico
Local labor and employment lawyer Alfredo Hopgood noted that recent federal court rulings in the United States will have a significant impact on Puerto Rico's employers.
“These developments have taken place during the summer, when we are immersed in other topics, such as political campaigns, etc., but already there have been countless lawsuits in the U.S.”, Hopgood said in an interview with News is my Business.
One of the ruling Hopgood refers to was on June 28: The U.S. Supreme Court cut back the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer, ruling that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws.
By a vote of 6-3, the justices overruled a landmark 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which gave rise to the Chevron doctrine or Chevron deference.
"As an attorney, I think this is comparable to the overturn of Roe v. Wade.” The ruling has triggered an avalanche of lawsuits involving labor and employment law, with various employers and groups attacking the validity of federal regulations established under the Chevron doctrine.
Overall Hopgood said there are three key rulings of concern for employers: the new workplace guidance by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a final rule in the EEOC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and a change in the Fair Labor Standards Act by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In March, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule providing guidance on when an employee may be considered an independent contractor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule, known as the 2024 Rule, implements Independent Contractor Test to address employee misclassification.
“Before this, a person who was classified as an independent contractor — that same person, with that same relationship with that organization — could now be classified as an employee,” he said, adding that the 2024 Rule will take precedence over Puerto Rico’s Act of 2017 labor reform.
The Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act of 2017 was put into effect to attract new business to the island while facilitating operations for existing enterprises. The act includes provisions for probationary periods, vacation and sick leave, meal periods, bonuses, statute of limitations and employment contracts.
“This can have significant economic consequences to the employer. There are many in this situation, and over many years the risk for the employer can be monumental. We’re talking about a lot of money.”
BEFORE YOU HIT THE BEACH GROCERY STORE
Sustainability Challenges
Call for proposals! Community to determine Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest: Public meetings will be held to address access, recreational infrastructure of the tropical rainforest.
Transportation
“Checkout-free” technology to arrive in Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU): Soon you'll be able to grab “empanadillas”, sushi and other food options without waiting in any line.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Liberty Puerto Rico reports 12% YoY revenue drop in 2Q, after AT&T Acquisition.
Technology services provider C3 Complete, Opens New Office in San Juan.
ASK US ANYTHING - Our goal is to provide useful information and create useful connections to the island, do you have any specific questions? Shoot us a comment or email and we’ll get back to you in a future newsletter.