MIAMI – Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio, along with Puerto Rico’s Representative in Congress, Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon, asked the Biden administration to act quickly to help Puerto Rico after the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Fiona.
In a letter Tuesday to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, the lawmakers urged her to “make the island’s full recovery from this storm a top priority.”
“While Puerto Rico is still recovering from the extensive devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island just five years ago, Hurricane Fiona’s heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding, widespread power outages and other life-threatening effects on the island. critical infrastructure,” the lawmakers wrote.
disaster:Power cut. Houses and roads were flooded. Hurricane Fiona leaves a ‘nightmare’ in Puerto Rico.
How can I survive Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico?: Mutual aid, supporting non-profit organizations
“While many of the severe effects of this storm are still ongoing, we are writing to support the immediate assessment of the situation and the deployment of FEMA resources, personnel and supplies,” they said. “This will alleviate unnecessary delays in facilitating recovery efforts as access to critical resources begins to decline.”
Florida is home to about 1.2 million Puerto Ricans, who represent the second-largest Hispanic group after Cubans, according to recent census figures.
After Hurricane Maria in 2018, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans temporarily moved to Florida. Many have stayed since then, as the US territory’s economy remains in shambles.
Hurricane Fiona brings heavy rains to PR
Fiona made landfall as a Category 1 storm on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon, then made landfall again on the east coast of the Dominican Republic on Monday morning.
As of Tuesday, more than 80% of Puerto Rico was without power — 24 hours after the storm shut down the island’s entire electrical system. More than 100,000 homes and businesses are without water. The Dominican Republic is still assessing the damage.
The National Weather Service warned of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding and flooding in southern and eastern Puerto Rico on Tuesday, with more rain forecast for the rest of the week. Conditions were not expected to improve significantly.
President Biden declared a state of emergency as the storm approached the southwest corner of the island.
FEMA’s Criswell arrived Tuesday to assess the damage and figure out what other resources might be needed.
He said the agency would send “hundreds of additional workers” to Puerto Rico in the coming days, as well as more than 1,000 workers on the island responding to Hurricane Fiona — about 700 of whom helped with Hurricane Maria recovery. with devastating force exactly five years ago.
Faster FEMA response
Criswell said in a statement that FEMA intends to “deploy personnel in each of the affected communities to add to our already extensive footprint.”
That’s a stark contrast to 2017, when FEMA’s response to Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico was widely criticized, leading the agency to admit mistakes in organization, preparation and staffing in an internal report the following year.
The agency said it has increased the number of its warehouses in Puerto Rico from one to four and increased its food and water supplies tenfold.
“FEMA is very well positioned for this response,” said Keith Turi, assistant administrator for recovery. “We’ve made a lot of progress in planning and preparation with our partners and municipalities in Puerto Rico over the past five years.”
Human rights activists emphasize the importance of supporting local organizations and local mutual aid groups that provide assistance to communities on the ground in Puerto Rico. Many organizations provide essential assistance such as solar lights, generators, supplies and food.
To help Puerto Ricans and others in the Caribbean recover, here is a list of some non-profits and mutual aid funds you can support.
Sergio Bustos is Enterprise/Politics Editor for Florida Gannett/USA Today Network. He lives in South Florida. Email: floridapolitics@gannett.com
