[Here is the latest coverage on Hurricane Dorian as it batters the Bahamas.]

Even before Hurricane Dorian grazed Puerto Rico on Wednesday, some of the island’s emergency preparation systems had already fallen short despite a scramble to ready residents for disaster.

Last year, federal and local emergency managers announced with fanfare that they had installed the first technologically advanced emergency alert siren downstream of the Guajataca Dam, the largest dam in western Puerto Rico.

At the time, television news crews clamored to record the new alert as the words “This is a test — do not take action” bellowed through the lush green region. The system was seen as a big improvement for the vulnerable area, where hundreds of people live beside a dam that retains the largest water source for the western part of the island. The dam’s spillway cracked during Hurricane Maria, sending emergency workers rushing door to door to get people out of their homes.

[Here are some tips on how to prepare for an evacuation order.]

The solar-powered and satellite-activated system was to employ seven permanent sirens to announce dam-break warnings and mudslides for miles, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced in September 2018. But two years after Hurricane Maria forced the evacuation of the residents near the Guajataca Dam, the bulk of the $1.2 million in siren equipment is still sitting in storage on the island.