After the governor of Puerto Rico raised the island’s official Hurricane Maria death toll to nearly 3,000 people, Puerto Ricans felt a range of emotions ― anger, frustration, grief ― but few were surprised. “I’m outraged but not surprised,” said Mariana Teresa Hernandez, a Puerto Rican mother who sent her two kids, ages 6 and […]
Another power outage in Puerto Rico hours after it was announced that it was finally restored
August 8, 2018 By
Hours after Puerto Rico officials announced that power had finally been restored to almost all of the island’s residents, a year after Hurricane Maria, a new problem with the power grid plunged thousands of people into the dark once again. Puerto Rico’s electric provider tweeted Monday that just 0.002 percent of its nearly 1.4 million […]
Two organizations sue FEMA after agency fails to release information related to Hurricane Maria
August 1, 2018 By
A reporting organization and a legal group filed a lawsuit against FEMA yesterday alleging that the agency has failed to release documents they requested detailing FEMA’s emergency relief efforts following Hurricane Maria last year. “FEMA has tried to escape accountability, dismissing our information requests for nearly six months now and trying to ignore our FOIA petitions,” said Executive […]
Puerto Rican mayor says the island’s profile has grown since Maria
July 31, 2018 By
Puerto Rican officials say they are encountering more sympathy from Washington since two hurricanes devastated the island last year, according to the mayor of Ponce. María Meléndez, a supporter of statehood for the U.S. territory, told The Hill she’s seen a change on Capitol Hill since the hurricanes raised the island’s profile in the media. Through constant visits and lobbying efforts, Meléndez is […]
FEMA denies housing aid to nearly 80% of Puerto Ricans applicants displaced by Hurricane Maria
July 18, 2018 By
After hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Marina were denied FEMA assistance to rebuild their homes, most of the families who have appealed the agency’s decision have not received aid. FEMA has either denied or not answered 79 percent — almost eight-in-ten — of the appeals, leaving residents and officials worried about […]
Judge temporarily blocks FEMA from ending housing assistance to Puerto Ricans
July 2, 2018 By
A federal judge on Saturday night temporarily blocked the government from ending housing aid to Puerto Ricans currently living on the mainland after being displaced by Hurricane Maria. U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin extended the program by just a few days, ruling the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cannot end the program until Tuesday. […]
Puerto Rico introduces bill to grant statehood to the island
June 28, 2018 By
Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative Jenniffer Gonzalez introduced a bill in Congress yesterday to grant statehood to the territory by 2021. “This is the first step to open a serious discussion regarding the ultimate status for the island,” Gonzalez said, according to the AP. Gonzalez, the territory’s resident commissioner, said the legislation currently has 14 Democratic […]
Puerto Rico’s new law to allow to privatize power grid
June 26, 2018 By
Puerto Rico is officially moving to privatize and upgrade its outdated power grid exactly 9 months after it was flattened by Hurricane Maria. At a press conference on last week, Governor Ricardo Rosselló signed into law the approved legislation that allows parts of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority – known as PREPA in English and AEE in Spanish […]
Study reveals the death toll after Hurricane Maria was more than 4,600 people and not 64
May 30, 2018 By
According to a Harvard study released yesterday, Hurricane Maria likely killed thousands of people in Puerto Rico last year, more than 70 times the official estimate. “Our results indicate that the official death count of 64 is a substantial underestimate of the true burden of mortality after Hurricane Maria,” the study says. Authorities in Puerto […]
Lin-Manuel Miranda hopes to raise more money by taking Hamilton to Puerto Rico
May 7, 2018 By
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Broadway smash-hit “Hamilton,” appeared live on “Good Morning America” today and opened up about bringing the show to Puerto Rico in 2019. “We’re trying to raise millions” for hurricane recovery efforts, Miranda said. “We’ll have hundreds of $10 tickets available for Puerto Ricans on the island, but we’re also […]
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