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It's been nearly a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, leaving utter devastation behind. But reporter Caitlin Dickerson says it’s hard for people to envision just how bad things still are on the island. Recovery has been slow or nonexistent in many places, and huge swaths of the island are still without power and running water.

In some areas, the slow recovery is due to infrastructure challenges — bridges connecting towns were damaged or destroyed in the storm, leaving people and communities stranded. Now, residents are coming up with solutions to life-or-death problems by making use of whatever they can find.

Dickerson, who has spent time documenting life on the island and how people are improvising, join The Takeaway to tell explain what things look like in Puerto Rico today, and how residents are trying to get by.

While many Puerto Ricans are struggling to regain some sense of normalcy, others are deciding to leave the island for the mainland U.S.

Joan Figueroa fled Puerto Rico on September 25th with her husband Nadir. They are currently with family in Elmira, New York, and discuss how they are working to move forward. 

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.