When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico

(Hardback)

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A searing investigation of the factors that devastated Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, from acclaimed investigative reporter Michael Deibert.

When Hurricane Maria roared across Puerto Rico in September 2017, it devastated the island. It was an unprecedented natural disaster, a Category 5 major hurricane, and ultimately responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 people. It also ripped away the facade that had dominated discussions of the island's relationship with the United States for over a century.

This is the first book to comprehensively expose what happened during Hurricane Maria, why Puerto Rico was so poorly prepared, and why a US territory, an island of American citizens, was largely ignored by the federal government in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster.

Using a blend of history and on-the-ground reportage, Michael Deibert pulls back the veil of the island known for its powdery beaches, rainforests, and apricot-and-lavender sunsets to reveal the trajectory for the decisions that set it on the path to the disaster that came during and in the wake of the storm, when its entire power grid and much of its water supply was knocked out. In doing so, he also reveals the stories of everyday heroism, compassion, and unexpected joy that have defined the island before and after Hurricane Maria.

Reviews

A remarkable work, this book offers a clear and concise history of Puerto Ricos colonialism leading up to and after the storm. Religious Studies Review An impassioned analysis [that] explores the role of the U.S.'s territorial relationship with Puerto Rico in the context of the damage wrought on the island by Hurricane Maria in 2017.Publishers Weekly [Deibert's] account of the weeks and months following September 2017, when the hurricane hit, accompanies a thoroughly researched history of Puerto Rico, both presented with the goal of helping readers better understand the ongoing impact of colonialism, and how the U.S. mainland responded to the hurricane's impact.Library Journal In perhaps the greatest opus of a multi-decade career that illuminates the darkest of circumstances for the most underrepresented of people on the planet, author and investigative journalist Michael Deibert delivers a gripping, must-read account of Puerto Rico's pain in the preamble and aftermath to Hurricane Maria. InWhen the Sky Fell, through exquisite prose and rigorous reporting, Deibert transports us to the core of the carnage with him. He delves into the physical and financial destruction experienced by Puerto Rico and reveals a history of economic plundering by the US government and its hedge fund moguls. He describes how this backdrop makes the hellish wreckage caused by Mother Nature so much more devastating. This book is exceptionally timely and critical. Nomi Prins, Author ofCollusionandAll the Presidents' Bankers A story that should be reflected in the eternal record...The colonial relationship of Puerto Rico with the United States, the status of Puerto Ricans as second-class American citizens, and the disappointment with traditional Puerto Rican political parties in recent decades are some of the issues chronicled inWhen the Sky Fell.El Nuevo Da In his devastating examination of the US government's inadequate and hostile response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Michael Deibert delivers a much-needed account of the island's history, bringing into sharp focus the long and often tortured relationship between the United States and its territory. This is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the post-Maria landscape in Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. Carrie Gibson, author ofEl Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North AmericaandEmpire's Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day

Author Bio

Michael Deibert is a journalist, author, and the Caribbean correspondent for Bloomberg. His articles have been published in The Guardian, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Le Monde Diplomatique, Folha de S.Paulo, and World Policy Journal, among other outlets. He has been a regularly featured commentator on international affairs for BBC, NPR, France 24, and KPFK Pacifica Radio. He was awarded a grant from the International Peace Research Association and was a finalist for the Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism, sponsored by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, both in recognition of his work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Deibert is the author of Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti; The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair; In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of Americas Drug War in Mexico; and Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History. He lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.