National Institute for Latino Policy - The Census Information Center of the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey has conducted an analysis, based on Census Bureau data for 2016, on the island's potential poverty levels in the aftermath of Hurricane María.
"The hurricane exacerbated the levels of poverty that existed in Puerto Rico and it is likely that today at least half of the country is below the poverty level. Depending on the length of the recovery and the more people lose income and jobs it is possible that the 254,905 people who had an income between 25 [%] and 50% over [the] poverty [level] also fall below poverty levels, potentially raising the [overall] rate to 59.8%," the CIC's director, Dr. José Caraballo Cueto, said in a written statement.
According to a potential scenario, the CIC said 9% of the people who had near-poverty incomes before María, may have fallen below the poverty level in the months following the hurricane, changing the rate to 52.3% from 44.3%. This is because many people who had jobs before the hurricanes now have more expenses and less income, either because they are working fewer hours or because they lost their jobs.
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