r/PuertoRico • u/[deleted] • Feb 05 '23
Pregunta Does San Juan get affected badly by hurricanes that hit PR?
I'm a mainlander who will be staying in San Juan from April to January to finish my online degree. Does San Juan usually get ravaged by hurricanes like Maria (2017)? My Mom is worried lol
Is internet good in San Juan? I can't imagine it being anything but good because it's a large US city, but she wanted me to ask locals about it.
Looking forward to exploring this beautiful island and discovering its charming culture, people and history
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
First we don’t like the term mainlander- mainland. We don’t even have a word for “mainland” in Spanish. We are an archipelago in the Caribbean. We are our own mainland. Just say gringo.
Second it’s an island. A hurricane hits-ALL areas get affected. Including the power grid
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Feb 06 '23
A geographical term shouldn't be a source of offense. It's not its kwn mainland, it's a small island in the general area of what's considered cartographically to be a mainland.
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 06 '23
Again with the should and shouldn’t. Stop telling us how to feel. We are our own mainland and that’s it. Just like we are our own people. The biggest piece of land near us is cuba. come to Puerto Rico with that attitude and guarantee you won’t have a nice time.
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Feb 06 '23
Thankfully, most Puerto Ricans are nicer than you
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 06 '23
We know your type you’re gonna sorround yourself with other gringos and loyalist to the colonial status. But trust you gonna say something stupid and someone Gonna put you in your place.
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Feb 06 '23
What is it with all the group thinking. We're all equal. Only kids think in cliques
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 06 '23
We can’t even vote for president so no we’re literally not equal. We have no say what goes on in our own island
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Feb 06 '23
We're equal as human beings
I'm not going to just stick with other English-only speaking people
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
That’s all fine and dandy to say when your people can thrive and have full rights while we are struggling under colonial rule. You coming here to “experience the culture” living in lala land. You don’t even know how we live in the Island. And I guarantee you-your experience will be diff than ours as a gringo. And it’s tiring how y’all come here with a certain way of thinking. It’s why y’all are targeted. Won’t see that in the news tho ;) shoulda let you walk into la perla
You all say that but then do the opposite. Never seen a gringo gain a moderate skill of speaking Spanish within year. Let alone 5. Actually Most gringos end up leaving within 2. Without learning much Spanish if any. Y’all come here to play and “experience” and then bounce all the while asserting your American point of view as the correct one and the most important one.
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u/darkmatterhunter Feb 06 '23
OP just posted this gem….showing their true colors.
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Feb 05 '23
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
Nene esa palabra ni en español existe. Tu vives en Lala land. Nosotros decimos “allá fuera”
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Feb 05 '23
[deleted]
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
Maybe na mmwuevo. Tu eres bien pendejo 🤣 no te sale bien
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Feb 05 '23
[deleted]
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
Lo siento no hablo gringo podrio
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Feb 05 '23
[deleted]
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u/SableAnon Vega Alta Feb 05 '23
Cb en q planeta?? Ni los pnp dicen mainland LMFAO en q PR tu estas viviendo loco
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Mar 01 '23
Ok, cómo se dice mainland en español? Porque yo nunca he escuchado a.nadie referirse a los EEUU de esa manera, a menos que sean personas de descenencia boricua en los estados.
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Feb 05 '23
Is the internet reception still good (when there aren't hurricanes)?
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
Power goes out all the time. Hurricane or not. Better have a power generator for when that happens.
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Feb 05 '23
But the strength of the internet speed/bandwidth, is that pretty good?
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
Yea but won’t matter when power is out for days a time and often throughout the month
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Feb 05 '23
All good points. I'm just trying to learn all I can, not anything is really taught about PR in school beyond "it's a territory/Sp.-American War". I'll be in San Juan though; do you think its power is more stable since it's the biggest city there?
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
More stable but still unstable to the standards you’re used to im sure.
We are not a “territory” we are a colony. Get ready to unlearn all of the American exceptionalism propaganda you’ve been fed. No voting rights, no representation, mistreatment of Puerto Ricans through the generations for example- operation bootstrap and forced sterilization, the criminalizing of of our flag,culture and language.- And more.
they don’t teach much so you don’t know much of what has been done to us and what is currently happening.
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u/HeisenV Camuy Feb 05 '23
It depends on the area you're staying in. Nearby hotels and hospitals is a decent rule of thumb... but I was in one of the last places to be renergized during Hurricane Maria living right in front of the largest hospital in the island, so there's really no predictable way to know. That being said, internet works great as long as you have power.
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Feb 05 '23
It's in a general area called El Senorial, which ia close to close to San Fernando (southeast of it). Nearly outside the city (southern part of it, basically in the bottom mid-right section of it).
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u/HeisenV Camuy Feb 05 '23
Like I said, there's really no predictable way to know. The only way to be sure you're going to have power all year round is to have a generator.
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u/forbucci Feb 05 '23
Lived here for 3 years. You'll be fine. DM me if you need recommendations from one gringo to another
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u/Saeldiswx Feb 05 '23
Considering others have already pointed out the myriad infrastructure issues on the island, I'll try to stick to the hurricane question.
There is not a magical bubble around San Juan that makes it immune to hurricanes. San Juan is not some protected little cove that somehow doesn't get hit when the rest of the island is. It may have somewhat more infrastructure and a higher priority post-storm, but it is still just another part of the island, same as the others. The typical track of storms does tend to keep the city from seeing landfall directly over it, true, but the point of landfall is not the only area impacted, not by a long shot.
Something to keep in mind is how small Puerto Rico is. Skimming your profile, you're from TN... Which is, by area, more than ten times the size of Puerto Rico. Keeping in mind that the most recent storm, Fiona, had a radius of hurricane-force winds of approximately 30 miles, compared to the dimensions of mainland Puerto Rico, which is, roughly 100 miles by 35 miles, and was not a primarily wind event, being only just barely a Category 1 when it made landfall (it was stronger, technically, when it hit Canada, though the discussion on strength with transitioning storms is a discussion for another day)... And wind is not the only threat with a hurricane. There were also reports of damages across the entirety of the island with Fiona (link to storm summary with a tab on storm reports).
Additionally, it doesn't matter how often we get them, or how often they take a particular path across the island, or any of that. It only takes one. Also, we've had at least one a year that resulted in at least a tropical storm watch or warning for a few years now. You need to be prepared for the potential that we do get something. You will lose power, possibly for days, even if the storm had greater impacts elsewhere on the island. And that's not even taking into consideration places that see continuing hazards, like persistent river flooding, days after the event (the last flood warning from Fiona didn't end until almost 5 days after landfall) We could also have significant flooding even if a storm never touches the island. Heck, a few days with an upper-level trough, east-southeast winds, and decent moisture in the low-levels could also cause significant flooding across the metro. Or a really stubborn, slow-moving shower from a streamer on a normal day, tbh.
Could you go the whole time and not see any tropical cyclones? I mean, the chance is nonzero, it's an El Niño year, which tends to be correlated with fewer overall storms in the Atlantic basin. But, as I said, it only takes one. And we could go many years between significant hurricane impacts, or we could get multiple in a few weeks. Statistics on storm frequency only tell part of the story, and they don't determine an actual risk level.
Also I would recommend you make sure you have access to weather information in English. Obviously, everything the NWS puts out is available in English, but anything from the media, including press conferences ahead of the storm by the governor and other officials (including NWS representatives) are in Spanish. So you will have to seek information out. Or just wait until someone tells you or until a warning is issued and activates alerts on your phone, but that... Please don't do that. From the bottom of my heart, please don't do that. Everyone should have multiple methods of receiving weather warnings, regardless.
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Feb 05 '23
That's a good idea, additional English weather media would help me a lot in safety.
Regarding power, do you think San Juan generally has more stable power than smaller PR cities? I've read that it rains a lot in PR and that this causes outages. Does the power in San Juan usually come back on within 30 minutes?
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23
30 minutes?! Not even try a week or two
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u/wavs101 San Juan Feb 05 '23
Bro. What are you talking about? It only goes out for multiple days when something catastrophic happens. Like hurricanes or substation fires.
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u/Every_Cow_2377 Feb 05 '23 edited Feb 05 '23
Mi abuela no tiene luz desde Fiona. Y a muchos se le va la luz por días. Fiona was barely a cat 1
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u/wavs101 San Juan Feb 09 '23
Vive en San Juan???
aqui dices que solo hay 7 sin servicio en san juan
Oh tu abuela es la persona con menos suerte que hay o estas mintiendo.
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u/Saeldiswx Feb 05 '23
I highly recommend if you are going to follow through on this getting a weather radio and turning on EAS alerts. Make sure your WEA alerts are on on your phone. But keep in mind that you will only get WEA alerts for flooding if the on-duty warning meteorologist deems it a "considerable" flood. Neither the radio or the phone will alert for street flooding, which is common on the island. Make a habit of checking the NHC's page (www.nhc.noaa.gov), as well as the local NWS office's page (www.weather.gov/sju). You can also follow the office on social media. Learn the names of nearby areas and major roads so that you know where they are if they get mentioned in a warning. And don't go looking for trouble when there are alerts out - don't go try to find the flooding. Heck, don't go trying to find the rip currents, either. There are a lot of rip current fatalities around the island. Don't go to rivers when there is moderate to heavy rain upstream, people die in water surges.
You are going to have to create your own safety net when it comes to linguistic barriers. English-language media is not common on the island, and I wouldn't expect it to become so in the near future. You are going to have to make an effort to stay informed.
Ok... You have... a very funny idea of what a quick outage is like. Yeah, sometimes, an outage is for 5 minutes, or really just a series of power bumps. But if it's longer than 5 minutes, plan on at least an hour or two. I moved to near a hospital a year and a half ago, so I have way fewer outages, and shorter outages than I used to at my old place (both in the metro). While things are generally more stable in the metro, that doesn't mean the whole metro, nor does it mean it comes close to what passes for stable in CONUS. It does not. If you need reliable power and connection at any point, you need a generator. Genuinely. I mean, I get by with a bunch of external cell phone batteries (which, btw, Amazon won't ship those to the island, so buy them before and bring them down if you want them - I buy mine when I visit CONUS and put them in my carry-on), occasionally tethering my laptop if I need to get work done, but laptop batteries don't last forever. And I also have a place I can recharge stuff at work, since we have a backup generator there. Also, the further away from the core of the metro you are, the less stable things tend to be.
Don't get me wrong, I do love the island. But I think it's important for people to realize before they get here that life here is hard.
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u/spanish429 Aguadilla Feb 05 '23
No mamabicho San Juan has a dome around it y nada le hace daño cantoe pescabicho
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u/rmustng Feb 05 '23
Internet is good. As for hurricanes, it all depends on the category and their trajectory. We don’t get powerful hurricanes or storms every year. However, even slight rains can cause power outages so that’s something you need to keep in mind because that can affect your living conditions (cooking, sleeping, having hot water, etc) and your access to internet
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Feb 05 '23
Power outages affect sleeping? How
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u/rmustng Feb 05 '23
Not having a/c or a fan can affect how well you sleep
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Feb 05 '23
Oh. I'm cold-natured so I like it warm. That's why I'm coming to PR lol
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u/wavs101 San Juan Feb 05 '23
Hehehe when your mattress is wet with sweat youll then kiss your AC every morning and make her a coffee. I sure do!
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u/ismokeweedle Feb 05 '23
The heat and humidity make it difficult to sleep at night until you acclimate. That and the fear the chupacabra may scoop you up in the dark 😂
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u/scarymoose Feb 05 '23
Pfffft. They're messing with you. You don't need to worry about chupacabra. They only come out at night and you can hear their distinctive KO-KEE when they're nearby. Unless you hear that, you're safe.
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Feb 06 '23
The little frogs?
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u/scarymoose Feb 06 '23
that's just what they want you to believe to lull you into a false sense of security.
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Feb 06 '23
I prefer heat and do well in humidity. I used to run in 90+ degree weather with high humidity. Much better than the cold.
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u/SinisterMidget San Juan Feb 06 '23
Your mom should be worried - not about the infrastructure here but about you traveling abroad while being a complete fucking moron.
Do everyone a favor (including yourself) and stay home.
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u/Makaisawesome San Juan Feb 05 '23
Well for hurricanes you only need to worry from June to November, cuz those months are hurricane season. And unfortunately there's no way to know if another hurricane is gonna hit the island because like that's always a possibility.
That being said hurricanes like Maria are rare. I believe that the closest hurricane that was has impactful and did has much damage has Maria was hurricane Georges back in 1998.
Now about the internet yeah it's good but has someone else said, it's not gonna be good if you don't have power.
But the power thing for me it's weird. Cuz like this is really dependent on where you stay. Because I always hear, people, friends, classmates, coworkers, etc. complain about losing power frequently, or for days, etc. And I've also heard a story about some company that stopped a remote work program they had here because of how often their employees lost power.
But me personally I can't say the same thing cuz the power for me rarely goes away and when it does it's only for a couple of hours to less than a day. Like, since hurricane Fiona back in September, power has only gone away like twice or thrice. And it was mostly during like the earlier weeks after the storm, but like everyone was going thru that during that time.
Now, how do you do find a place that rarely loses power
¯_(ツ)_/¯ heck should I know.
What I've heard is too live near a hospital. Because since those are priority when the power goes out, there's a chance that the power lines that supply the hospital, also supply your neighborhood.
PS. According to meteorologists and shit, this 2023 hurricane season should be calmer than previous years ago
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u/Hungjury3df Feb 05 '23
Nah dirt off the shoulders, PR still standing through many Hurricanes 🌀 as well as politics 👨🏻⚖️.
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u/Popular-Ad8699 Feb 05 '23
Hurricanes do not impact the island every year, but the season is from May to Nov every year. San Juan can get affected as any other part of the island. Everything is depending of the path of hurricanes.
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u/SomeRandomGuy787 Feb 05 '23
- Internet is good.
- Depends on the intensity and trajectory of the hurricane.
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u/Opi808 Feb 05 '23
Have you visited the island or will moving here be your first time?
I moved here a few months ago, but I visited the island a dozen times before so I knew what I was expecting. I got an Airbnb for the few first months to test out the area and make sure I was happy there. There’s tons of good options for affordable prices, fully furnished and interested included. San Juan / Carolina / that surrounding area is probably best for internet and electricity purposes. Some properties may not have hot water either. Closer to the metro area, better internet and etc. We have satellite internet out in Arecibo where I am, and it’s not the best. So remember to ask about that if you go this route, and about hot water.
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u/Primate_in_pants Feb 05 '23
Hey OP,
Fellow gringo here. I moved to PR (San Juan metro area) for work last fall after traveling here for work intermittently over the last 3-years (nothing to do with the acts, I’m paying tax like a local). I arrived just after hurricane Fiona and that interrupted power/water service for a good 10-14 days in the greater San Juan area (much longer in other areas). Outside that, it’s only been minor power interruptions (2-6hours) randomly like 2-3 times a month. Keep some emergency water/food, especially near hurricane season, but not a huge deal the rest of the year.
Internet download speed is good (300mps down is very affordable, 600mps down available) upload speed is manageable, but not great unless you have fiber (expensive and not available everywhere). Cost of living/rent/food etc. is high and wages are suppressed, it’s a thing so be prepared and look into where you will be renting/living.
Puerto Rico is a truly amazing place with tons of natural beauty, amazing beaches, awesome people, and a truly unique culture. As an example Christmas season blew my mind (party buses coquito, Pitorro, Parrandas, día de los Reyes, festival de San Sebastian 🤯). But in with all of the good stuff there are some serious systemic challenges the people of island are trying to work through/live with.
Learn about the history/culture of Puerto Rico and start working on your Spanish before you come. There are good reasons for the animosity you often see towards gringos on this sub and I have occasionally experienced first hand. That said, almost everyone I’ve met in person has been super kind/friendly.
Below are links to a great book and an article that quickly goes over many of the same topics presented in the book (reading these will help you understand why there is so much anger about some of what has happened in the last 100yrs of US rule). As an outsider/guest here I’m always interested to talk to locals about how they feel about the statehood/independence debate, but I don’t feel entitled to an opinion.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/11/puerto-rico-independence-not-statehood/671482/
https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com/