Among the 1,067,618 requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding available housing funds, only 194,126 cases had been approved for housing repair or replacement assistance, as highlighted today. the representative Maricarmen Mas Rodríguez, who seeks to conduct a “deep” investigation into the “large amount” of applications that have been denied.
Mas Rodriguez, said today in a statement that the Chamber of Representatives of the island plans to approve this Tuesday a measure that pursues a thorough investigation into the “large number” of applications that have been “denied” by FEMA related to funds available for repair of housing or assistance in the replacement.
“Our goal is to investigate why, according to official reports, among the 1,067,618 FEMA applications for available housing funds, only 194,126 cases had been approved for housing repairs or replacement assistance,” he said in the statement. the representative for District 19, which includes the municipalities of Mayagüez and San Germán.
In addition, the “federal agency has denied 79 percent of the appeals for the requests for assistance presented to the Individuals and Families Program by persons affected by Hurricanes Irma and María in Puerto Rico, which were initially denied. very high and we want to know the specific reason for the denials “.
This is the resolution of House 1093 that orders the Government Commission to carry out the aforementioned investigation in a period that will exceed 180 days.
“Considering the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in the country’s infrastructure, particularly in the homes of our citizens, the great number of FEMA refusals in relation to the available recovery funds is extremely worrisome, which is why this Legislative Body considers it meritorious to carry out an in-depth analysis as to the reasons for these denials, so that we can implement the necessary corrective measures, “he added.
The plenary session of the Lower House will evaluate, in ordinary session, the measure this next Tuesday, February 19.
In 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the granting of a record $ 18.5 billion to support the long-term recovery of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. These funds would be delivered through the HUD program “Community Development for Determined Subsidy-for Disaster Recovery” (CDBG-DR), and would be aimed at addressing pending housing, economic development and infrastructure needs.
The CDBG-DR grant represents the largest amount of disaster recovery assistance for a single event that HUD has awarded in its history; and it is added to the 1,500 million that the Department allocated for Puerto Rico last February, for a total of 20,000 million dollars of HUD investment in the recovery of Puerto Rico. (EFEUSA) .-
