Washington, D.C. residents may be familiar with the debate over the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in the wake of the devastation of hurricane Maria. Increasingly, it resembles the ongoing debate over Washington, D.C.’s Metrorail system. Both are fundamentally flawed, terribly mismanaged, highly consequential pieces of American infrastructure.

But while Metrorail will likely never be fully fixed — it was built without the third set of tracks necessary for a highly functioning rail system — Puerto Rico’s power grid and delivery system could be fixed and improved. In fact, such an improvement could actually become the long-term silver lining of a heart-rending natural disaster.

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