Hurricane Maria drowns agriculture, once a bright spot in Puerto Rico’s struggling economy

For 21 years Hector Alejandro Santiago spread joy throughout Puerto Rico with the poinsettias, orchids and other ornamental plants he raised and sold to major retailers including Costco, Walmart and Home Depot. In a matter of hours Hurricane Maria wiped it away. The greenhouses and other buildings on the 40 acres where he grew the plants and prepared them for customers lie in tatters, ripped to shreds by 155 mph winds and driving rain. Trees are flattened. “I will need to begin from zero,” said Santiago, 43, whose Cali Nurseries is in Barranquitas, a small mountain city 34 miles southwest of San Juan. He’s determined to rebuild and get back into business despite the losses he estimates at $1.5 million.Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 as a Category 4 storm, the strongest to hit the island in a century. At least 16 people died and nearly all 3.4 million people on the island were left without power and most without water.The hurricane devastated agriculture, a small bright spot of economic growth in a U.S. territory mired in a decadelong recession and crushing debt.