San Juan, Jan 22 – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will approve next Monday an unprecedented contribution of 554 million dollars to rebuild thousands of public housing facilities in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria.
These substantial federal funds will be allocated to the Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration, which will thus have a budget with which to plan its long-term recovery, according to a FEMA statement.
“Starting the year with this historic allocation gives rise to what will be a year of great steps in the recovery of Puerto Rico. These funds will reach the communities that need it most,” said the island’s federal coordinator for Disaster Recovery, Jose G. Baquero.
The details of this unprecedented assignment will be offered on Monday, January 24, during a press conference between the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, and the Resident Commissioner in Washington, Jenniffer González-Colón.
Pierluisi stressed that with this allocation of funds for the rehabilitation of public housing they reinforce their commitment to “promote a recovery that benefits everyone on the island.”
“We are marking the reconstruction of Puerto Rico with a firm step,” he said.
The resident commissioner indicated that she has been working hand in hand with federal agencies for the disbursement of these recovery funds and so that “Puerto Rico can continue towards a path of economic development.”
Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, caused nearly 3,000 deaths, the total destruction of the island’s power grid and some 90 billion dollars in damage, according to government calculations.