Puerto Rico Hurricane and ABC X Crisis Essay

Both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico hard, with Maria being especially devastating. As of October 24—many weeks after the hurricane hit—the island has barely recovered its essential services. The majority (80%) of the electrical system is back on, and third of the island is without safe drinking water (Saldaña, 2017). As Nedelman (2017) also points out, diseases like Leptospira are spreading through contaminated water. The hurricane is one of the biggest crises Puerto Ricans have faced in recent history. With the deplorable lack of responsiveness exhibited by the American government, families in Puerto Rico need to access additional resources in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. Using the ABC-X model of stress and coping can help guide Puerto Rican families towards the institutions that support them.

The ABC-X model begins with the (A), the stressor, which in this case is the Hurricane but also the widespread devastation in terms of loss of essential services like electricity and drinking water. (B) refers to the resources available to each family or community. In the case of Puerto Rico, the United States government is supposed to provide federal emergency relief funding but that funding has been delayed or nonexistent (Saldaña, 2017). Therefore, families in Puerto Rico that can afford to have been flying to the States where they have access to electricity and running water, highlighting the class conflicts and the ways crises affect people from different socio-economic groups much differently.

The (C) factor refers to family perceptions of the crisis. In the case of Hurricane Maria, most Puerto Ricans have simply been concerned about their safety and that of their families to think in broader terms or for the long-range issues. Writing from the perspective of Puerto Ricans, though, Saldaña (2017) notes the crisis has been perceived differently depending on social class. Those who are poor or unable to leave due to medical reasons have been left behind on the island, while the rich perceive it as their right and privilege to leave.

X refers to the likelihood of crisis, referring to further risk factors. In Puerto Rico, there are many risk factors exacerbating future crisis. Those factors include public health concerns like the contaminated drinking water, as well as concerns about the future social stability on the island. If only the wealthy can afford access to safe drinking water by leaving Puerto Rico, it could…