Puerto Rico (The United States of America)

Release Number:
291

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA has awarded nearly $46 million in additional grants to cover Hurricane María-related expenses. These awards bring the total amount of funds obligated under the agency’s Public Assistance program to $3.9 billion.

The grants approved are distributed as follows:

• Nearly $14.4 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and Wisconsin Electric Power Company for emergency protective measures

Release Number: NR 284

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA has awarded nearly $56 million in grants to cover Hurricane María-related expenses. The funds cover costs for emergency protective measures and debris removal.

Emergency protective measures are actions taken to eliminate or lessen immediate threats either to lives, public health or safety, or significant additional damage to public or private property in a cost-effective manner.

The grants approved are allocated as follows:

Debarati Guha-Sapir, professor, Francesco Checchi, professor

Science must prevail

Last year Hurricane Maria slammed into the island of Puerto Rico, devastating the island. With 150 mph winds and up to 20-30 inches of rain, the entire island lost power and many homes were destroyed, affecting more than 3 million people.

ANNIVERSARY OF LAST YEAR’S HURRICANE HEIGHTENS PREPAREDNESS FOR 2018

The effects of last year’s hurricanes are still reverberating throughout the Caribbean and Gulf Coast region. The roll call of the devastation was sobering but was a clarion call for NetHope and its members and partners to increase our collective efforts to be prepared for the coming hurricane season, which has already begun to assert itself.

By Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International

20 September 2018, 12:21 UTC

As we mark the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the experience of Puerto Ricans shows that the biggest threat to humanity is not climate change itself – but politicians who ignore it and refuse to keep us safe.

Efforts Focus on Restoring and Improving Early Learning and Education Programs, Helping Children Emotionally Heal, Building Resilience, Preparing for Next Emergency

Release Number:
NR 280

BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico – Ilia González had to make some tough decisions in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane María’s landfall a year ago. Chief among them: whether to leave her home and support network in Barrio Santa Olaya and give up her job.

Gonzalez registered with FEMA for disaster assistance and today is living in an apartment while the home María destroyed is being rebuilt. Both her home and the temporary apartment were paid for by two FEMA programs, and Gonzalez still has her job.

Reviving tourism and agriculture is critical for the island’s economic recovery following last year’s hurricane

Mangkhut Today, Maria Yesterday

In recent years we have begun working closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies in the Caribbean region. We collaborated around the responses to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and last week’s Tropical Storms.

by Christiana Smyrilli, Pamela Silva, Lenulisy Rosado, and Martha Thompson

Executive Summary

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA has awarded the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, Electric Power Authority and the Municipality of Rio Grande $49.3 million to cover Hurricane Maria-related expenses.

The grants approved are distributed as follows:

MAUNABO, Puerto Rico – Throughout Puerto Rico, voluntary organizations are addressing the disaster-related unmet needs of survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

More than 100 local and national voluntary organizations are helping Hurricane María survivors by cleaning and repairing damaged homes so they are safe and sanitary, and providing additional services to storm survivors to assist with their recovery.

Introduction

BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico – Hurricane María survivor Francisco Diffut remembered what crossed his mind when he saw 20 volunteers standing outside the remnants of his home.

"They said more were coming but I thought that wasn’t true," he said. "Then a van full of people appeared. When I saw all those other people arrive, I was so stunned I just cried."

Since Hurricane Maria made landfall, Direct Relief has delivered $70 million worth of medicines and supplies. The organization has also supported solar and infrastructure improvements to numerous local health centers.

By Lara Cooper, Tony Morain

It’s been nearly a year since Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc across the Caribbean, where brutal Category 4 winds whipped across the region, causing immense destruction and claiming thousands of lives.

• Tropical cyclone ISAAC continued moving westward over the eastern Caribbean Sea, weakening. On 14 September at 3.00 UTC, its centre was located approximately 400 km south-east of Puerto Rico (USA) and 700 Km south-east of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (tropical storm). Heavy rain and strong winds are currently affecting the central Lesser Antilles, especially Dominica and Martinique.

• Amnesty International has corroborated satellite imagery showing that stockpiles of $22 million worth of potentially vitally needed water were left on tarmac

• Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo to visit Puerto Rico on the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria

Amnesty International is demanding that the Puerto Rican and US federal authorities initiate an independent investigation into the authorities' response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which cost 2,975 lives.