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Pursuit of wanted man leads to meth bust

SMITH COUNTY, Texas – The arrest documents of a Tyler man who led deputies on a motorcycle chase Tuesday morning depict an aggravated robbery days before. According to our news partner KETK, 34-year-old Charles Griffith was arrested after evading deputies and on an active warrant. Police were called to a home on Highway 271 where the caller claimed multiple men broke into her house, and Griffith pointed it at her. The other people attempted to steal her TV. The following Tuesday, authorities began pursuing Griffith while on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. An affidavit reported he even went into oncoming traffic to avoid police. After an on-foot chase, police were able to detain Griffith and find a digital scale, a medical vial, a pill bottle with three white pills inside, a water bottle, blue candy, a wallet, a pink lighter, a rubber hose and a plastic bag with 120 grams of methamphetamine in a backpack. Griffith was booked into the Smith County Jail and charged for aggravated robbery, evading arrest with a vehicle and manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance. He is being held on a combined bond of $1,850,000.

Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross and more in store for ‘Black Mirror’ season 7

As part of its Geeked Week festivities, Netflix has teased the star-studded seventh installment of its out-there sci-fi anthology Black Mirror.

Paul Giamatti and Jesse Plemons will be featured, as will Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Emma Corrin, the latter of whom played the heavy in the blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine.

Also appearing will be Peter Capaldi, Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Patsy Ferran, Cristin Milioti and
Chris O'Dowd, among others.

The streaming service teases that one of the six new episodes will revisit the Star Trek-like season 4 opener "USS Callister."

This time around, Plemons plays Robert Daly, "a brilliant but troubled" video game programmer who is so "unhappy with a perceived lack of recognition at his gaming company [he] creates a simulated reality within the game."

Netflix says Daly gives himself "the role of a Captain Kirk–like figure aboard a starship ... leading an adoring crew — based on his real-life co-workers — on zany sci-fi adventures."

"Of course, because this is Black Mirror, things take an unexpected and sinister turn," Netflix continues.

Other episodes for the 2025 season are still under wraps.

David Rancken’s App of the Day 09/19/24 – Character AI Chat!

Would you like to explore the world of chatbots? Then get David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Character AI Chat. You can find Character AI Chat in the app stores below.

Francis Ford Coppola apparently gives his own ‘Megalopolis’ a 5-star review

Coppola and Adam Driver on set - Lionsgate

Francis Ford Coppola's star-studded, mostly self-funded, pet project Megalopolis can't seem to avoid controversy regarding its reviews.

While he has said he didn't know how possibly AI-generated fake reviews ended up on a now-deleted trailer for his movie, this latest hiccup literally has his name on it.

Megalopolis now appears on the film enthusiast social media platform Letterboxd, and its user reviews are as mixed as pro critics' critiques have been — however, among those cineastes who gave the movie a five-star review is apparently one Francis Ford Coppola.

The filmmaker didn't elaborate on the project, for which he's spent decades and a fortune of his own money to get to theaters.

One user of the platform wasn't nearly as kind, snarking Megalopolis "is to Coppola what This Is Me Now…is to J.Lo."

Ouch.

Incidentally, also among Coppola's few Letterboxd recommendations are The Last Showgirl — the Pamela Anderson film that happens to be directed by his granddaughter Gia, and which has been getting legitimately glowing reviews; 2023's The Good Half, directed by Robert Schwartzman, who is Coppola's nephew; and Between The Temples, a 2024 film starring his other nephew — and Schwartzman's brother — Jason.

Megalopolis hits theaters Sept. 27.

Florence Pugh on needing a summer vacation: “I hate how much of my life I’ve missed”

Florence Pugh needed a summer vacation.

In an interview with British Vogue, Pugh — who in recent years starred in Marvel's Black Widow and Hawkeye; Oppenheimer; Dune: Part Two; Marvel's Thunderbolts; and the forthcoming drama We Live in Time with Andrew Garfield — confessed she needed a break.

"It was the first time ever in my career when I've actually asked for a summer break," she tells the magazine. "I'm an absolute work maniac, [but] I [could] see I'm exhausted."

She adds, "I suddenly woke up last year and I was like, 'I hate how much of my life I've missed.' Yes, I want to have a career forever, but that's not going to happen if I work myself into the ground."

She's back at work now, promoting We Live in Time, an out-of-order romance drama with Garfield, who calls his love interest an "incredibly accessible actor" who boasts that "extra mysterious factor that can't be named."

Pugh says apart from her career aspirations, family is "always" on her mind. "I’ve always been thinking about starting a family. I've wanted to have kids since I was a child myself. I love the idea of a big family."

She adds, "I love kids. I love hanging out with kids. If ever there’s a dinner party, I go straight to the kids to chat to them. So much easier. I love the honesty. I love how bored they can get. I've never stopped knowing that I want to have kids. It's just figuring out when."

We Live in Time, from Oscar-winning indie studio A24, opens Sept. 7.

Emily Blunt reflects on ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, ‘A Quiet Place’

Emily Blunt is looking back on some of the biggest roles of her career.

The actress, who was nominated earlier this year for her first Academy Award for her performance in the 2023 blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer, sat down with Good Morning America to chat about the beloved The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and the scary A Quiet Place (2018).

Reflecting on her first day of shooting The Devil Wears Prada, Blunt called it a "nerve-racking" experience because "it was my first big movie and I didn't know what to expect."

"I remember how kind Annie Hathaway was to me," she recalled of her co-star, Anne Hathaway.

"And David Frankel, the director, created such a fun environment," she added. "You could improv, you could chuck in a thing you wanted in there, and there were no mistakes."

One thing she said stuck out to her about her first day on set was how she "fell practically on Meryl Streep" during a scene that required her to run down a corridor in high heels, which she admitted she is "not very good at walking in."

"I just fell over, clipboard and all, just clattering to the floor," she said, recalling how her co-star didn't break character.

Fast-forward 12 years later and Blunt found herself diving into a new genre -- horror -- by starring alongside husband John Krasinski in A Quiet Place, which Krasinski also directed.

She quickly learned "how tiring it is to be constantly hyperventilating and terrified." But Blunt said watching Krasinski direct his first film showed her a new side of him.

"You kind of see that your partner kind of has a superpower you didn't know they had," she gushed. "It was really extraordinary to build that together."

Maternal deaths surged in Texas in 2020 and 2021

TEXAS (TEXASTRIBUNE) – In 2020 and 2021, the number of deaths due to pregnancy or childbirth in mothers rose in the state of Texas. The Texas Tribune reports that the rates are the highest since the state started tracking maternal deaths in 2013. Even excluding deaths related to COVID-19, the numbers were worse than usual. The maternal mortality rate in 2020 was 27.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 17.2 in 2019. With COVID-related deaths excluded, the rate was 24.2. This is according to a report released this month by the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. In 80% of these cases, the committee determined there was at least some chance of saving the patient’s life – a decline from 90% from the previous report. A quarter of women died due to infections, the most common cause of death, followed by cardiovascular conditions, obstetric hemorrhage, embolisms and mental health conditions.
Continue reading Maternal deaths surged in Texas in 2020 and 2021

What to know about the pipeline fire burning in Houston’s suburbs

DEER PARK (AP) — A pipeline fire that forced hundreds of people to flee their homes in the Houston suburbs burned for a third day Wednesday, with officials saying they don’t expect it to be extinguished until sometime Thursday evening.

Officials said residents who had to evacuate would be allowed to return to their homes starting Wednesday evening.

Authorities have offered few details about what prompted the driver of an SUV to hit an above-ground valve on the pipeline on Monday, sparking the blaze.

Here are some things to know about the situation with the pipeline fire:

What caused the fire?

Officials say the underground pipeline, which runs under high-voltage power lines in a grassy corridor between a Walmart and a residential neighborhood in Deer Park, was damaged when the SUV driver left the store’s parking lot, entered the wide grassy area and went through a fence surrounding the valve equipment.

Authorities have offered few details on what caused the vehicle to hit the pipeline valve, the identity of the driver or what happened to them. The pipeline company on Wednesday called it an accident. Deer Park officials said preliminary investigations by police and FBI agents found no evidence of a terrorist attack.

Deer Park police won’t be able to reach the burned-out vehicle until the flame has been extinguished. Once the area is safe, the department will be able to continue its investigation and confirm specifics, city spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said in an email Wednesday.

The valve equipment appears to have been protected by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The pipeline’s operator has not responded to questions about any other safety protections that were in place.

Who is responsible for the pipeline?

Energy Transfer is the Dallas-based owner of the pipeline, a 20-inch-wide (50-centemeter-wide) conduit that runs for miles through the Houston area.

It carries natural gas liquids through the suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte, both of which are southeast of Houston. Energy Transfer said the fire had diminished overnight and was continuing to “safely burn itself out” on Wednesday.

Energy Transfer also built the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been at the center of protests and legal battles. The company’s executive chairman, Kelcy Warren, has given millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

What’s being done to extinguish the fire?

Energy Transfer said its crews were working Wednesday to install specialized isolation equipment on both sides of the damaged section that will help extinguish the fire.

Once the equipment is installed, which could take several hours of welding, the isolated section of the pipeline will be purged with nitrogen, which will extinguish the fire, company and local officials said. After that, damaged components can be repaired.

“The safest way to manage this process is to let the products burn off,” Energy Transfer said.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Deer Park officials said repair work on the pipeline to help speed up the process to put out the fire wasn’t expected to be completed until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Once finished, the fire was anticipated to be extinguished within two to three hours.

How have residents been impacted?

Authorities evacuated nearly 1,000 homes at one point and ordered people in nearby schools to shelter in place. Officials said that starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, residents in Deer Park and La Porte who had to evacuate would be allowed to return to their homes. A portion of a highway near the pipeline would remain closed, officials said.

Hundreds of customers lost power. Officials said Wednesday afternoon that only two customers remained without electricity in the Deer Park and La Porte area. Repairs to all of the power distribution lines affected by the fire had been completed.

Deer Park’s statement said Energy Transfer was “prioritizing the safety of the community and environment as it implements its emergency response plan.”

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all residents during this ongoing situation,” Deer Park officials said.

By late Tuesday, about 400 evacuees remained, and some expressed frustration over being forced to quickly flee and not being given any timeline for when they will be able to return.

“We literally walked out with the clothes on our backs, the pets, and just left the neighborhood with no idea where we were going,” said Kristina Reff, who lives near the fire. “That was frustrating.”

What about pollution from the fire?

Energy Transfer and Harris County officials have said that air quality monitoring shows no immediate risk to individuals, despite the huge tower of billowing flame that shot hundreds of feet into the air, creating thick black smoke that hovered over the area.

Houston is the nation’s petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight, and some have been deadly, raising recurring questions about industry efforts to protect the public and the environment.

Saoirse Ronan stars in trailer for Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’

Saoirse Ronan stars in the trailer for Steve McQueen's upcoming historical drama, Blitz.

Set in England during World War II, the trailer follows 9-year-old George, played by Elliott Heffernan, who embarks on a journey to return home to his mother, Rita, played by Ronan. Rita searches tirelessly for her missing son, who finds himself in great danger as he makes his way back to East London.

"You're responsible for his safety," Ronan's Rita says in the trailer. "Why can't you tell me, where's my boy?"

Later on in the trailer, while standing in front of a crowd, Rita says, "This is for all the parents whose children have been evacuated, and for my boy, George."

The Oscar-winning McQueen wrote and directed the Apple Original Film, which also stars Paul Weller as George's grandfather Gerald, as well as Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine and Kathy Burke.

Blitz arrives in theaters on Nov. 1, before it streams on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.

House rejects temporary funding bill to avoid government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal that would have linked temporary funding for the federal government with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

Next steps on government funding are uncertain. Lawmakers are not close to completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund federal agencies during the next fiscal year, so they’ll need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a partial shutdown when that budget year begins Oct. 1.

The vote was 220-202, with 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats opposing the bill. Johnson, who said after the vote he was “disappointed,” will likely pursue a Plan B to avoid a partial shutdown, though he was not yet ready to share details.

“We’ll draw up another play and we’ll come up with a solution,” Johnson said. “I’m already talking to colleague about their many ideas. We have time to fix the situation and we’ll get right to it.”

Johnson had pulled the bill from consideration last week because it lacked the votes to pass. He worked through the weekend to win support from fellow Republicans but was unable to overcome objections about spending levels from some members, while others said they don’t favor any continuing resolutions, insisting that Congress return to passing the dozen annual appropriations bills on time and one at a time. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the measure.

Requiring new voters to provide proof of citizenship has become a leading election-year priority for Republicans raising the specter of noncitizens voting in the U.S., even though it’s already illegal to do so and research has shown that such voting is rare.

Opponents say that such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have a birth certificate or passport readily available when they get a chance to register at their school, church or other venues when voter registration drives occur.

But Johnson said it is a serious problem because even if a tiny percentage of noncitizens do vote, it could determine the outcome of an extremely close race. He noted that Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa won her seat back in 2020 by six votes.

“It’s very, very serious stuff and that’s why we’re going to do the right thing,” Johnson said before the vote. “We’re going to responsibly fund the government and we’re going to stop noncitizens voting in elections.”

Meanwhile, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump weighed in again just hours before the vote. seemingly encouraging House Republicans to let a partial government shutdown begin at the end of the month unless they get the proof of citizenship mandate, referred to in the House as the SAVE Act.

“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social.

House Democrats said the proof of citizenship mandate should not be part of a bill to keep the government funded and urged Johnson to work with them on a measure that can pass both chambers.

“This is not going to become law,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. “This is Republican theatrics that are meant to appease the most extreme members of their conference, to show them that they are working on something and that they’re continuing to support the former president of the United States in his bid to demonize immigrants.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has predicted Johnson’s effort was doomed to fail.

“The only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he’s running into a dead end,” Schumer said. “We must have a bipartisan plan instead.”

The legislation would fund agencies generally at current levels through March 28 while lawmakers work out their differences on a full-year spending agreement.

Democrats, and some Republicans, are pushing for a shorter extension. A temporary fix would allow the current Congress to hammer out a final bill after the election and get it to Democratic President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

But Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are pushing for a six-month extension in the hopes Trump will win and give them more leverage when crafting the full-year bill.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declined to weigh in on how long to extend funding. He said Schumer and Johnson, ultimately, will have to work out a final agreement that can pass both chambers.

“The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It would be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election because certainly we would get the blame,” McConnell said.

Regardless of the vote outcome, Republican lawmakers sought to allay any concerns there would be a shutdown. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said if the bill failed, then another stopgap bill should be voted on that would allow lawmakers to come back to Washington after the election and finish the appropriations work.

“The bottom line is we’re not shutting the government down,” Lawler said.

But Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of engaging in a “shutdown effort.”

“That’s not hyperbole,” Jeffries said. “It’s history. Because in the DNA of extreme MAGA Republicans has consistently been an effort to make extreme ransom demands of the American people, and if those extreme ransom demands are not met, shut down the government.”

The House approved a bill with the proof of citizenship mandate back in July. Some Republicans who view the issue as popular with their constituents have been pushing for another chance to show their support.

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., noted that his state’s secretary of state announced last month that 3,251 people who had been previously issued noncitizen identification numbers will have their voter registration status made inactive and flagged for possible removal from the voter rolls. Voting rights groups have since filed a lawsuit saying the policy illegally targeted naturalized citizens for removal from voting rolls.

“These people should never have been allowed to register in the first place and this is exactly what the SAVE Act will prevent,” Aderholt said.

Rusk County seeing strings of vehicle burglaries

RUSK COUNTY, Texas – Our news partners at KETK report that a recent spike in vehicle burglaries in Rusk County has forced local authorities to ask the public for help. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) received several reports of vehicles being burglarized Wednesday night just south of Henderson. Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez said patrol deputies began compiling the reports for investigators in the southern part of the county, but with no further leads, they need the public’s help. The vehicle in question was described as a white Ford 4-door truck. Anyone with information is being urged to contact sheriff’s office or report via the Rusk County Crime Stoppers online tip form.

Why Brazilian officials want to pave a highway in the Amazon rainforest

(NEW YORK) -- A government plan to pave a highway in the Amazon rainforest is prompting concerns from environmentalists who say the development will cause more wildfires in the region.

But for those who live in remote areas of northwest Brazil, the highway could serve as a lifeline to modern civilization, experts argue.

The current road is 560 miles long and mostly dirt. It connects the Amazon-adjacent states of Amazonas and Roraima to the rest of the country.

The road is difficult for most vehicles to navigate, Nauê Azevedo, a litigation specialist for the Climate Observatory in Brazil, a network of 119 environmental, civil society and academic groups, told ABC News. The unpaved road has led to a lack in modern development in many rural areas, he added.

Paving the road, however, would pose dire consequences for the already degrading rainforest, Azevedo said.

The construction of BR-319, the formal government nomenclature, would likely lead to a "fishbone pattern" of deforestation extending from the roadway, Rachael Garrett, a professor of conservation and development at the University of Cambridge, told ABC News.

Moreover, the exposure to outside communities could harm indigenous groups living in the Amazon, Garrett said.

Added Azevedo: "From an environmental standpoint, paving this road will be so detrimental for the Amazon rainforest, which we all know is crucial -- both to Brazil and the world in general."

Aside from the further deforestation, environmental crimes, such as illegal logging and mining, would likely increase without proper governance in the region, Azevedo pointed out. Criminals would have easier access to remote areas and authorities would not be able to stop illegal activities, he said.

Brazil is experiencing one of the worst drought emergencies in history, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Rapid deforestation in the Amazon is reducing the amount of rainfall, therefore exacerbating the drought and risk of extreme wildfires.

Paving the road, however, would have social benefits for the residents nearby, according to Garrett, who has heard concerns from residents about having access to hospitals, schools and goods.

"There are really good, moral reasons, from the perspective of people living in this region, to have roads being paved," she said.

The controversy over the construction of BR-319 has been going on for years. In 2022, a permit to pave the highway was issued by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration favored development in the Amazon.

But in July, a federal court suspended the permit following a lawsuit by the Climate Observatory, citing the need for protective measures to be put in place to control deforestation before paving begins.

"We asked the judiciary branch to stop this licensing process," Azevedo said. "The pathway is still there, but they will not be ... allowed to build anymore. So, it will stay as it is right now."

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised last week to pave the road while on a visit to an indigenous community in the state of Amazonas.

"We can’t leave two capitals," Lula said, adding that the construction will be done "with the utmost responsibility."

Lula's administration has appealed to reinstate the permit suspended by a federal judge.

Ensuring governance surrounding the construction of the highway is of the utmost importance, Azevedo said, adding that the health of the rainforest depends on it.

"We can't undo the damage that has already been done, but we could probably conserve and preserve what's the left of it," he said.

‘The Penguin’ takes a deep dive into the classic Batman villain

It's time to delve deeper into the psyche of The Batman villain The Penguin. The new series The Penguin debuts Thursday on HBO.

It takes place in the universe of Robert Pattinson's The Batman, and show creator Lauren LeFranc tells ABC Audio that its themes go way beyond the criminal in the comic books.

She says, "There's a lot of themes about, you know, family and trauma and masculinity, and really a deeper examination overall as to what makes a monster and why do we engage with people who might be charming, but also really problematic and have darker sides to themselves."

LeFranc says the series picks up a week after the events of The Batman, with a damaged Gotham City flooded as a result of The Riddler blowing up the seawall.

"Carmine Falcone, you know, very large, larger-than-life crime boss in The Batman, is dead," she continues. "And that has sort of created a power vacuum. And Oz Cobb, played by Colin Farrell, seeks to fill it."

What you won't see in The Penguin is Pattinson's Batman, which LeFranc hopes won't be that big of a deal.

"I totally understand why people would want to see Batman or think that they would want to see Batman. You know, to me, I hope by the end of our show people don't feel that way. They feel like we've serviced really interesting, engaging characters and that this show can stand on its own in that regard," she shares.

Adds LeFranc, "I mean, of course we're taking place in the same universe where Batman exists. The thing Matt (Reeves) and I would always say is that Batman is just a man, you know, and he can't be everywhere. He doesn't have Spidey sense, you know?"

In brief: ‘Ellen Degeneres: For Your Approval’ trailer, ‘SNL’ vets reunite for ‘Platonic’ and more

So what's Ellen DeGeneres been up to lately? "I decided to take up gardening. I got chickens. Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business," the comedian jokes in the new trailer for what's being billed as her final stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For You Approval, coming to Netflix Sept. 24. "The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind, that was the headline," she added. Here's the problem: I am comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, 'Be kind to one another.' Had I ended my show by saying 'go f*** yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind." After a bombshell 2020 expose of a "toxic" work environment behind the scenes at her eponymous talk show, where "be kind" was the mantra" ...

Saturday Night Live vets Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett have landed recurring roles in season 2 of the Apple TV+ comedy series Platonic, according to Deadline. Platonic stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as "a platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife who reconnect after a long rift," per the streaming service. "The duo’s friendship becomes all consuming — and destabilizes their lives in a hilarious way." A premiere date for season 2 has yet to be announced ...

The trailer for Small Things Like These, Cillian Murphy's first film since winning an Oscar for Oppenheimer, has just been released. The movie, based on Claire Keegan's bestselling novel, stars Cillian as a devoted father who, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, "discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church," according to the film's official synopsis. Cillian also serves as a producer, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ...

Puerto Rico’s infrastructure still recovering from Hurricane Maria seven years after the Category 4 storm devastated the island

In this Aug. 14, 2024, file photo, broken electricity lines above homes damaged are seen after Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Fajardo, Puerto Rico. (Jaydee Lee Serrano/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

(NEW YORK) -- Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria -- nearly seven years after the powerful Category 4 storm caused extensive damage to the island's already delicate infrastructure.

September marks National Preparedness Month and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month -- stark reminders of the work that remains to be done on the island, especially as climate change could lead to more rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.

Getting Puerto Rico to the necessary storm preparedness is about "justice and fairness" in protecting a unique culture and heritage that belongs to the United States, Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, professor at the University of Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center who has researched urban energy sustainability in Puerto Rico, told ABC News.

"We are U.S. citizens and deserve the best possible opportunity to develop and grow and have a sense of well-being and prosperity," said Gonzalez-Cruz, who was born and raised on the island.

Hurricane Maria brought 155 mph winds as it made landfall near the city of Yabucoa, on the southeast portion of the island, on Sept. 20, 2017. The storm knocked out 95% of cell towers, leaving residents without the ability to communicate. Power, already scarce due to Hurricane Irma just weeks before, was knocked out on the entire island. Flooding on the island was rampant, with 13 locations reaching record flood stage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Structural damage to buildings was widespread, and nearly all road signs and traffic lights were destroyed, officials said.

Some communities were without power for up to a year, according to Gonzalez-Cruz.

Out of the nearly 3,000 deaths attributed to Maria, only dozens were as a result of the actual storm, Kyle Siler-Evans, senior engineer of RAND, a nonprofit research institute and public sector consulting firm, told ABC News. The rest of the fatalities were caused by lack of access to clean water, food and power for an extended period of time, he added.

The frequency of strong storms that impacted the U.S. in 2017 likely contributed to delays in response to Puerto Rico, Sally Ray, director of domestic funds for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, told ABC News. Hurricane Harvey brought widespread flooding to the Houston area in August 2017. Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage in Florida after striking the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, in early September 2017.

"By the time you got to Maria, you know, everybody had given all their attention and money to Harvey and not as much to the subsequent storms of that season," Ray said.

The COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent storms that followed and the rise of inflation delayed the reconstruction even more, Siler-Evans said.

Puerto Rico was awarded $34 billion from the federal government for Hurricane Maria recovery efforts, $28.6 billion of which was allocated for permanent work and management costs, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As of September 2023, 86% of FEMA's Projects for Puerto Rico, including hazard mitigation and management costs had been completed, according to FEMA.

Gonzalez-Cruz described recovery efforts as being at a "good pace," despite the setbacks. Improvements continue to be made to the power system, new flooding zones are regularly identified and reconstruction is moving steadily across the island, he said.

Thousands of smaller projects, such as the building of baseball fields and repairs to roads and bridges, are currently in the works as well, Siler-Evans told ABC News.

"But, [there's] still a lot of work to be done," Gonzalez-Cruz said.

Puerto Rico is often in the bullseye of storm systems that generate in the Atlantic Basin, the experts said. Every extreme weather event to impact the island since 2017 has been a litmus test of what still needs to be done to modernize its aging infrastructure, much of which was built during the mid-20th century.

More than 30,000 homes still had damaged roofs -- covered in blue tarp -- in 2019 as Hurricane Dorian neared the island, but a direct hit was avoided due to a late shift in track. In 2020, one million customers were without power following back-to-back earthquakes. An explosion and subsequent fire at a substation left 900,000 customers on the island without power in June 2021. Another massive fire at a major power plant caused a massive outage for about 1.3 million customers in April 2022, followed by Hurricane Fiona in September of that year.

Fiona was considered the first big test of the improvements made on the infrastructure since Maria, Gonzalez-Cruz said. The entire island lost power following the impact of the Category 1 storm.

The most recent named storm, Hurricane Ernesto, caused significant flooding on the island and left 730,000 customers without power -- about half the island -- after striking the island last month, officials said.

"There's this whole cycle of problems that happens after a storm like Ernesto that [doesn't] get the attention," Ray said.

The toll from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria took on the collective psyches of Puerto Ricans cannot be understated, Gonzalez-Cruz said.

"It also shocked the makeup of the Puerto Rican people," he said. "It revealed a lot of challenges that the island has been dealing with over [the] years."

FEMA, its federal partners and the Government of Puerto Rico continue working closely on the island's unprecedented recovery mission, a FEMA spokesperson said in an emailed statement to ABC News.

"FEMA is committed to the work that lies ahead and to ensuring that this historic recovery will have a lasting, positive impact on future generations," the spokesperson said. "As National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, FEMA is proud to mention that its Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group is one of the largest in the agency with nearly 1,000 members across the country, many of whom are Puerto Rican and are leading the island's long-term recovery efforts.

A request for comment from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority was not immediately answered.