Articles by Danica Coto

Caribbean Agricultural Workers Keep Fighting for Compensation from Pesticide Exposure

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Agricultural workers who have long sought compensation for contamination from a pesticide banned in France but used in the country’s Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have finally had a day in court after a …

Virus-Hit Florida Lashed by Weakened Tropical Storm Isaias

Bands of heavy rain from Isaias lashed Florida’s east coast Sunday while officials dealing with surging cases of the coronavirus kept a close watch on the weakened tropical storm. Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Saturday …

Update on Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery

The newly appointed U.S. official charged with overseeing disaster recovery in Puerto Rico said this week that while the pace of federally funded projects to help hurricane and earthquake victims has quickened, he’s worried about long term efforts. The comments …

Puerto Rico Hit with Second Earthquake on Southern Coast; 4,000 People in Shelters

A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday (January 11) causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 8:54 a.m. (1254 …

Hundreds Left Homeless, Thousands Without Power from Puerto Rico Earthquake

Cars, cots and plastic chairs became temporary beds for hundreds of families who lost their homes in southwest Puerto Rico as a flurry of earthquakes struck the island, one of them the strongest in a century. The magnitude 6.4 quake …

Bahamas Suffered $3.4B in Losses, 67 Deaths from Dorian; Hundreds Still Missing

Hurricane Dorian inflicted losses of about $3.4 billion on the Bahamas, an amount equal to one-quarter of the Caribbean archipelago’s GDP, according to a report released last week. The report by the Inter-American Development Bank also said there were 67 …

Bahamas Facing Humanitarian Crisis in Wake of Hurricane Dorian

FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) — Practically parking over the Bahamas for a day and a half, Hurricane Dorian pounded away at the islands Tuesday in a watery onslaught that devastated thousands of homes, trapped people in attics and crippled hospitals. At …

Puerto Rico Reforms Claims, Surplus Lines, Other Insurance Laws

The governor of Puerto Rico overhauled the U.S. territory’s insurance laws on Tuesday to help protect policyholders as thousands of claims remain unresolved more than a year after Hurricane Maria. Gov. Ricardo Rossello signed six laws into effect as he …

Insurers Under Scrutiny in Puerto Rico with 13,600 Hurricane Maria Claims Still Open

Thousands of Puerto Ricans have been forced to drain their savings, close their businesses, or resign themselves to living with structural damage as they fight insurance companies over millions of dollars’ worth of claims that have gone unanswered or unpaid …

Beryl, Season’s First Hurricane, Weakens; Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico Face Uncertainty

Tropical Storm Beryl moved rapidly westward early Sunday, heading for the Lesser Antilles at the eastern entrance of the Caribbean Sea. Although what had been the Atlantic season’s first hurricane was losing power, residents on islands hit hard by storms …