On September 20 of last year, Hurricane Maria tore Puerto Rico apart.
Over 1000 people were killed, 10,000 lost their homes, 3.4 million lost power and 103,000 still have no power in what has turned into the longest blackout in US history. (Puerto Rico is part of the United States and its people are citizens.)
Sounds off, somehow, doesn’t it.
The underwhelming response from the US government - which included Donald Trump shooting rolls of paper towel into a crowd basketball-style (swish!) and describing the island as being “surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water.” – did not sit well with Samantha Bee. So she brought the Full Frontal crew down to PR to find out just what in the hell was going on.
The result is an hour long special featuring Sam and her correspondents talking to locals about their reconstruction efforts, especially in the rural areas that were hit the hardest.
President Donald Trump tosses paper towels into a crowd at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico in October 2017. Source: AAP
If you have no idea where Puerto Rico is or what its history is as a Spanish colony and then American commonwealth or why Puerto Ricans can't vote for President, this episode will put a lot of that in perspective.
Also, the popular actor David Duchovny makes an appearance. Not too shabby.
And if you’re feeling left out of the relief efforts, you can buy a . All proceeds go to the Hispanic Federation charity to support rebuilding on the island.
Watch the Full Frontal Puerto Rico special on Thursday 12 April at 8pm on SBS VICELAND or stream it at SBS On Demand:
