Release Date: July 27, 2018
Release Number: 235
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA awarded more than $34 million in additional Public Assistance grants for emergency protective measures, debris removal and management costs related to Hurricane María recovery on the island.
To date, the FEMA Public Assistance program has obligated $2.6 billion in total funding to the Government of Puerto Rico and municipalities.
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 were awarded as follows:
• $18 million to the Central Recovery and Reconstruction Office of Puerto Rico
• More than $7.3 million to Caguas
• More than $3.2 million to San Lorenzo
• Nearly $1.9 million to Coamo
• More than $1.5 million to PR Department of Education
• Nearly $1.3 million to Loíza
• More than $1 million to Fajardo
The grant to the Department of Education is to purchase 300 temporary modular classrooms for 121 schools as temporary facilities damaged by Hurricane Maria.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to eligible government and certain private nonprofit organizations. This assistance is granted for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged facilities. The program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
The Public Assistance program is funded by FEMA and administered by the Government of Puerto Rico. FEMA obligates funding for these projects directly to Puerto Rico.
For more information on the Hurricane María recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339