Broken Worlds: The Island, a Documentary Exposing the Harsh Inequity in the Forsaken Paradise of Vieques, Residents Still Struggling to Survive

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Jan 07, 2019, 08:45 ET

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Director Robyn Flanery's new documentary Broken Worlds: The Island perfectly weaves the wild beauty of Vieques with the heart-wrenching stories of its residents still living in the shadow of Hurricane Maria, the worst storm to hit the tiny island in 90 years. Vieques, located 7 miles off the southeast coast of the main island of Puerto Rico and home to 9,000 American citizens, has been mostly ignored since the Category 5 hurricane hit September 20, 2017.

Very Little Progress

The island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico was decimated by Hurricane Maria and remains a paradox of extremes. It is quite possible to not notice the inequity through the veil of its unimaginable beauty. With little to no help, the residents struggle each day to survive. They hold onto hope that help will bring with it the creation of a sustainable infrastructure that will turn this island into the thriving hidden oasis it should be.

Electricity is still mostly dependent on generators. Clean water is a luxury most don't have. The makeshift hospital is a tent and the ferry to the main island only runs when it wants to. Many residents lost everything and still have no place to call home. Those that were spared by the storm live in homes with leaking rooves and no electricity. Businesses that had insurance still haven't received money to begin the process of rebuilding and providing for their families. The main source of income for the island is tourism, but without basic necessities, that has proven to be an impassable hurdle for Vieques, adding to the list of problems its citizens face daily. And yet, life still continues on because what the future of Vieques depends on the most is the one thing that Hurricane Maria couldn't destroy: the resiliency and determination of the people to rebuild and thrive in this paradise they call home.

War Games

For half a century, Vieques was a dumping ground for the U.S. Navy and suffered horrific ecological damage and many of its citizens attribute their health-related issues to the toxins released by these war games. The residents still wait for the government to clean up the mess they made. The napalm. The depleted uranium. The unexploded bombs that sit waiting for fishermen to discover them in the pristine turquoise waters. Flanery's film not only details the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the decades of military abuse, but it's a powerful look into the lives of the people who have fought to uncover the lies that have plagued the island for decades and want to return Vieques to its rightful place as the hidden paradise of the Caribbean.

Broken Worlds: The Island
#BROKENWORLDSTHEMOVIE
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Contact:
Robyn Flanery
Director
Get It Girl! Production
(504) 812-0383
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/pg/brokenworldstheisland/

SOURCE Robyn Flanery