Here's the Devastation Maria Inflicted on Vieques and its Airport
Last week, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and completely devastated the US territory. Many are still without power, food and water are scarce and much of the island's infrastructure and housing has been damaged or destroyed.
One of the hardest hit areas is Vieques, an island just seven miles off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. Reports from CNN reveal that the island has been completely destroyed and is almost totally cut off from the world. CNN's Bill Weir traveled to the Vieques and filed a report Thursday morning detailing what residents of the island are enduring.
Vieques is almost in ruins, food and water are running low and crowds of people line up in the main square to use a handful of satellite phones to contact friends and family.
Weir had a bit of a harrowing journey to get to the island. He flew a small Cessna single engine prop from San Juan (SJU) to Vieques (VQS) on Wednesday. The airports have no working radar so every aircraft is flying by plain old eyesight. Dust from Africa's Sahara desert clouded the skies, complicating the flight.
Weir added a lighter moment to the day when he spotted an old Japanese fighter in a hangar in San Juan.
Upon arrival, the CNN correspondent shared images of the airport's runway which was littered with destroyed planes. While some of the aircraft sat in ditches, others were literally ripped apart by the storm.
After leaving the airport Weir toured the island — only to find more destruction, including catamarans flipped on their backs.
Communication to the outside world is almost nonexistent.
There's a Marriott property on the island, The W Vieques, which has been closed since September 22. Weir's report said it was severely damaged.
Watch Weir's full report here:
You can donate to the recovery efforts by clicking here and join TPG and the CEO of TPG's soon-to-be parent company Red Ventures, Ric Elias. Elias, who grew up in Puerto Rico himself, will match all donations up to $5 million.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month