Hawaii residents, like Puerto Ricans, who faced disasters before them, are not asking to be saved.
They ask only to be allowed to help themselves in the face of failing emergency services and federal aid.
But the entrenched vulnerabilities produced by colonialism are not so easily overcome.
For example, some residents have been begging tourists to stay away as the community recovers.
It will only worsen if weeks of absent federal aid turn into months of bureaucratic labyrinths and endless red tape, as has happened so often.
Persons:
Hurricane Maria
Organizations:
Puerto Ricans, Hurricane, FEMA
Locations:
Hawaii, Puerto, The State