Washington, D.C. — After two Congressional delegation trips to Puerto Rico to examine disaster recovery and response efforts, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) led a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor urging him to approve permanent repair or replacement assistance to help communities recover from recent natural disasters on the island.
“The damages that we observed in many municipalities across southern Puerto Rico are not only devastating to those communities today, they will adversely impact those areas as we approach another hurricane season. Several public schools and other government facilities that serve as community shelters in times of need have either collapsed, shifted from their foundations, or are otherwise structurally unsafe and require permanent repair or replacement. Absent the approval of Categories C-G, the only Federal assistance available to these municipalities is for demolition of unsafe structures and debris removal,” the Members wrote.
In addition to Leader Hoyer and Chair DeFazio, the following Members signed the letter: Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Representative Andre Carson (D-IN), Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
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