While awareness of the ongoing struggle of Puerto Rico’s hurricane victims remain, much of the discussion weeks after the storm focuses on partisan bickering rather than the fact that millions of residents are left without power or basic necessities such as food, shelter, or clean drinking water.
Pulling no punches, The Weather Channel’s homepage recently read in bold letters, “AMERICA, THIS IS STILL HAPPENING.”
The campaign to create — and maintain — awareness came exactly 30 days after the hurricane hit Puerto Rico, ravaging the island’s infrastructure.
While The Weather Channel has been critical in its coverage of Trump’s efforts in providing humanitarian aid, the bold proclamation served as much to bring attention to readers and the media as it did legislators and politicians. Neil Katz, the website’s editor-in-chief, acknowledged that the site’s utility is twofold and that the fallout from weather events is just as practical a concern as their immediate presence.
“Part of what we do is we’re a utility, and at a very simple level we help people quickly figure out if it’s going to rain. Do I need a coat? How do I plan my day?” Katz said. “But we’ve always had another level built in, which is to keep people safe in severe weather events. And we think aftermath is just as vital as forecast.”
The home page of Weather.com has returned to its usual diversity of programming and content, but little has changed since Friday when the message was broadcast in no uncertain terms. On the network’s Twitter account, regular reminders of the struggle Puerto Ricans face are shared in the hope that the world doesn’t just pay attention, but acts as well.
The Weather Channel continues to maintain this page offering a list of more than 14 ways one can contribute to the substantial rebuilding effort Puerto Rico faces.
