00:00Puerto Rico's rainy season never showed up, and now the island is in crisis.
00:04NASA-backed drought assessments show three-quarters of Puerto Rico is in at least moderate drought,
00:09with 44% of the territory now classified as extreme drought.
00:13Some southern and southwestern communities have received less than 20% of their usual rainfall this year,
00:20and San Juan just logged one of its warmest Julys on record.
00:23The lack of rain has forced water rationing in several municipalities,
00:27with rivers like the Rio Fajardo hitting record low levels.
00:31Farmers are losing crops, and ranchers say they're running low on hay to feed their animals.
00:36The situation has grown serious enough to trigger both a local state of emergency
00:40and a federal drought disaster declaration covering more than two dozen cities and towns.
00:46Scientists say the unusually dry wet season is a warning sign of how climate change
00:51is reshaping rainfall patterns across the Caribbean.
00:53Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created, or enhanced, using AI-assisted tools.
