How the Caribbean's Colonial Past Shapes Hurricane Preparedness

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After devastating the Caribbean island of Dominica, a former British colony with a population of 72,000, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico early this morning.

En route, Maria passed over a number of other Caribbean islands. Each island has its own unique history and relationship with former colonial powers like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. So when a hurricane hits, the responses between the islands vary greatly.

This was on full display just last week with Hurricane Irma, when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the French side of St. Martin, while Dutch King Willem-Alexander was on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla after committing £32 million in aid to the island, where he was criticized for not showing up earlier.

Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Island People: The Caribbean and the World," discusses how the past colonial relationships of the Caribbean islands shapes hurricane response, and how the hurricanes highlight the divergent histories of the Caribbean. 

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.