San Juan, .- The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, urged on Sunday the US Senate, country of which the island is a Commonwealth, to approve the Project 268 of the federal House of Representatives that assigns 14,170 million dollars for jurisdictions devastated by natural disasters.
With the approval of said measure, which would benefit Puerto Rico after the devastating passage of hurricanes Irma and María, economic aid would be provided to those territories for infrastructure, education, housing and food programs, Rosselló explained in written statements.
As exemplified by the governor, only the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) benefits 1.3 million citizens in Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico must receive these federal resources, necessary to sufficiently complete its recovery and reconstruction in a timely manner, and assist the more than 3 million US citizens who reside on the island and who recover daily from the cyclones,” said Rosselló .
On the PAN, Rosselló emphasized that the program is in “desperate need” of 600 million dollars that they have requested, but that aid has not been approved because, as alleged, Puerto Rico does not receive the federal assistance it deserves and inequality of the island with other US jurisdictions.
Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 and is defined as a Commonwealth of that country, with its own Constitution and with a significant degree of autonomy, although the US reserves sections such as defense, currency, immigration and customs, among others.
“The devastation left by Hurricane Maria has diminished our resources,” said Rosselló, who said that currently, the Government of Puerto Rico does not have enough funds to cover the payment requirements advanced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). , in English).
“We are asking for the same commitment that other jurisdictions have received from the federal government, so that it covers 100% of the payments for emergency work that will accelerate the recovery,” he added.
Hurricane María that devastated Puerto Rico is comparable by the magnitude of its destruction to the worst natural disasters that have been registered in the territory of the United States.
The force of the cyclone winds affected the basic services of the island, specifically those of the Electric Power Authority and the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority.
Faced with this, Governor Rosselló also asked for $ 500 million in aid today to continue repairing the potable water service infrastructure so that the inhabitants of the island can enjoy this vital resource.
Rosselló also asked the federal Senate to approve the cameral project, since the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) needs $ 25 million to work in the Caño Marín Peña, in San Juan, to end the project. Flood problem.
“Also, while we rebuild the power grid, we are asking for $ 15 million in technical assistance from the federal Energy Department so we can rebuild a better, stronger and more resilient network than we had,” he said. (EFEUSA)
