Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 16 april 2018

'People are still suffering': MLB back in storm-hit San Juan

By TIM REYNOLDS course. But the mere sense
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) of normalcy, in abnormal
— Hiram Bithorn's statue is times, will help.
no longer standing. The sta- "We have a chance to have
dium bearing his name is influence," Twins manager
ready to bustle again. Paul Molitor said. "Some
That's an apt way to show of it is resource, some of it
how things are right now in is just, you put your words
Puerto Rico, which is about and your presence there
to host its most significant and it brings significance to
sporting events since Hur- the efforts that are ongo-
ricane Maria dramatically ing. So MLB, the Twins and
ravaged the islands seven the Indians have all done
months ago. Major League a good job of coordinating
Baseball returns Tuesday to as many things as we can
San Juan, with Cleveland during the course of those
and Minnesota opening a three days without detract-
two-game series that many ing from the fact that we're
hope will remind the rest there to play baseball."
of the world that recovery The Twins, the Indians, MLB
from the storm is far from officials and Baseball Hall of
over. Famers — some, like Rober-
"I hate to say it, but this is a to Alomar, are from Puerto
great platform, so people Rico; some, like Cal Ripken
can see the reality," said Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora calls back toward his dugout during the third inning of the Jr., are not — will be across
Boston Red Sox manager team's baseball game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday, April the island this week. Clinics
Alex Cora, a native Puerto 11, 2018. for kids will be held. Money
Rican and someone who Associated Press will be raised and distrib-
bought tickets to Indians- uted. Supplies will be left
Twins for his family — and wind that lashed into them. I'm pretty sure it's sold out that figure is way too low to behind. Twins employees
wishes it was his team play- Bithorn, the first Puerto Ri- already and it's going to be be fully accurate; even the are planning to aid workers
ing in San Juan this week. can to play in the majors, a life-changing experience National Hurricane Cen- trying to restore water and
"We're much better than was commemorated by a for a lot of kids who can't ter, in its recently released power. Indians CEO Paul
six, seven months ago, statue outside the stadium travel to the United States report on the storm, said it Dolan will help plant na-
whenever it was. But we've where the Twins and Indians to watch a big league "should be noted that hun- tive trees to replace some
still got work to do." will play. The statue blew game." dreds of additional indirect those that were destroyed.
The evidence of that is ev- over in the storm, landing Maria was the third-costliest deaths in Puerto Rico may And then for 18 innings or so
erywhere in San Juan, and face-first on the concrete. hurricane in U.S. history, hit- eventually be attributed on Tuesday and Wednes-
only becomes more preva- The massive base of the ting Puerto Rico as a high- to Maria's aftermath pend- day, the 18,000 fans at Hi-
lent as one ventures into statue is still there, but the end Category 4 storm on ing the results of an official ram Bithorn Stadium will get
more remote areas of the bronze replica of Bithorn in Sept. 20. It arrived with 155 government review." to cheer again.
islands. uniform is nowhere to be mph winds, barely below As far as the cost, in Puerto "It's always good to have
Blue tarps still cover count- found. the threshold for Category Rico and the U.S. Virgin Is- a reminder that we have
less roofs that were dam- "People are still suffering 5 status. Hurricanes weaken lands alone Maria is esti- work to do," Cora said.
aged. Many electronic over there," Houston Astros over land, when they're not mated to have caused up "People don't realize it.
signs along major highways star shortstop Carlos Cor- drawing energy from warm to $115 billion in damage. There's people in the moun-
aren't working, traffic lights rea, who hails from Puerto water to fuel their wrath, "There are thousands of tains that have no water,
remain out even in some of Rico, said Sunday. "And to but wind speeds when people still with nothing no power. It's been like
San Juan's more upscale ar- be able to bring baseball, Maria was done with her over there," Correa said. six, seven months. That's
eas, and around the airport the sport that we love the path across the island were "No house. No roof. No tough. Sometimes (in the
there are towering palm most, back to my home- merely down to about 110 power. No food. No water. U.S.) we complain that we
trees that no longer stand town — it's going to be mph. And we still need to help." don't have power for three
straight — they're curved, amazing. A lot of people Maria was blamed for 65 A pair of baseball games days and we're going nuts.
yet another reminder of the are looking forward to it. deaths in Puerto Rico. But won't fix all the issues, of Imagine having that."q