A recently-released CBS News short documentary tackles the exodus of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane María and the current state of the commonwealth. With reporting done by David Begnaud, one of the main journalists consistently covering the aftermath of the Hurricane, “Puerto Rico: The exodus after Hurricane Maria” follows local resident Damarys Perales and her daughter as they prepare to leave the island, and another family who is staying but has been without electricity for over 10 months.
“I’ve been reporting on the devastation caused by María for the past year, my team and I have returned repeatedly, and while there are some glimmers of hope and progress amid the shuttered businesses and abandoned homes, government agencies at every level are still struggling,” said Begnaud during the documentary.
Begnaud said that since the post-Hurricane María exodus began, an estimated 200,000 Puerto Ricans have moved to the U.S. mainland, “continuing to drain the island of the resources most vital to getting it back on its feet, it’s people.”
During the documentary, Begnaud also interviews Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Roselló, and visits the island’s forensic department which is struggling to keep up with the number of unidentified bodies.
Watch the full documentary above, or here.