PR also had less infrastructure in place to help themselves recover.
Part of being a fairly poor colony of the USA?
No.
Granted that Puerto Rico gets hit with 'canes often
but the biggest problem Puerto Rico has is corruption at every level of gub'min
from the governor to the cops on the street.
Considering that PR is often one of the first to have to deal with hurricanes
experience and the will to survive should be enough to get them to establish an infrastructure
but it's easier to wait for US handouts than to actually do jack shit.
Recall that truck drivers/Teamsters were refusing to drive and using the urgent/emergency
to negotiate as if Teamsters don't already make enough money.
Apply that attitude to most Puerto Ricans with power to organize and you have the reason for their inaction.
Their being a poor colony of the US is socialist propaganda. I'm not debating that as a whole
Puerto Ricans are poor and in bankruptcy
but their own corruption made them so, not their commonwealth status.