Residents, aid groups, and government agencies are beginning to grapple with the tragic consequences facing Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Elaine Duke, acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, said both the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are dealing with "total devastation."
"We had zero power and it's going to take a long time to restore the power grid, and we don't have the adjacent areas from which to deploy like we did in [Hurricane] Katrina," Duke said.
Here in central Florida, shelters are being prepared to house 10,000 evacuees, and arriving children are registering to attend school.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs has said, “I’m anticipating that a very, very large number of people from the island will be evacuating,” and economic analyst Hank Fishkind agrees. He tells 90.7's Nicole Darden Creston the influx will likely be concentrated in central Florida and evaluates possible effects from an economic perspective.
Click the "Play Audio" button above to hear their conversation.
