During the past year, Puerto Ricans have struggled to recover from the strongest hurricane to rock their territory in almost a century. The physical and environmental damage to the island was compounded by political controversy. Disillusioned by politics, government bureaucracy and mismanagement, Puerto Ricans have learned to rely on each other to rebuild and survive.

CGTN’s Nitza Soledad Perez reports from Puerto Rico.

Follow Nitza Soledad Perez on Twitter @NitzaSoledad

• Armando Valdes-Prieto is a political consultant and Former Director of Puerto Rico’s Office of Management and Budget.
• Phillip Arroyo is a political analyst.
• Rafael Bernal is a staff writer for The Hill.
• Michael Deibert is an investigative journalist and is writing a book on Puerto Rico.

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She got $6,000 to replace her waterlogged belongings. But FEMA gave her nothing to help make her house habitable again. https://t.co/8X1KTp9DLU

— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 20, 2018

A year ago today, #HurricaneMaria made landfall over Puerto Rico. #GOESEast captured this view of the destructive Cat. 4 storm as it barreled toward the island. More: https://t.co/Wz4PdhbOvs pic.twitter.com/r5fgIEsRjx

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 20, 2018

Puerto Rico's population has been shrinking for the last decade due to its fiscal crisis. A year after Hurricane Maria, the exodus is a growing problem for the island. https://t.co/QiGhNfpZGF pic.twitter.com/HxMhPpC70C

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 20, 2018