Hurricane Fiona: N.Y. lawmakers vow quick response after Puerto Rico left in dark by storm
From City Hall to Capitol Hill, New York lawmakers demanded quick action on Tuesday to respond to the deepening crisis in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona lashed the island, leaving millions in the dark.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he spoke to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to urge that no effort be spared to meet the needs of millions of Puerto Ricans suffering without power and others without drinkable water.
“We also asked in a letter that I led that the Puerto Rican government be reimbursed 100%,” Schumer told the Daily News. “They said they’re likely to go along with the 100%, and they understood that we have to do a lot more to shake up the whole Puerto Rican system as to how they deliver their energy.”
I spoke to @FEMA_Deanne with @RepEspaillat and @NydiaVelazquez to push for our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico.
We’re urging the admin to reimburse 100% of costs, allow document flexibility for accessing aid, and advance funding to Puerto Rico in this critical moment.— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 20, 2022
Calling Puerto Rico the “sixth borough,” New York City Mayor Adams said he had already dispatched a team of emergency management experts to the stricken island where millions of New Yorkers trace their roots.
“As Hurricane Fiona leaves behind a path of destruction, our administration stands ready to provide all of the support and aid our brothers and sisters need,” Adams said.
Street lamps are out on a street in the Condado community of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 19, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Fiona. (-/)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), the dean of the Puerto Rican caucus in Congress, said the crisis was completely predictable because needed changes were not implemented after Hurricane Maria devastated the island five years ago.
“I said, even (a category 1 hurricane). . . the power grid will collapse. And here we are,” Velazquez said. “Today, 90% of the people of Puerto Rico are without power.”
Hochul rushes aid to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico and Dominican
Democrats want President Biden to show Puerto Ricans he can do a better job of leading the storm recovery than President Donald Trump did with Maria, when he infamously tossed paper towels to a crowd of desperate storm victims.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the No. 4 Democratic leader in the House, called for the federal government to rush aid to the island.
He vowed that Congress would take action if needed.
“Once we have some greater visibility in terms of the actual needs ... we can then comprehensively respond in a manner that is both humane and necessary,” Jeffries said.
A man looks at a flooded street in the Juana Matos neighborhood of Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 19, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Fiona. (-/)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) retweeted a letter she and other lawmakers sent last year demanding faster reforms to bolster Puerto Rico’s troubled electric grid.
“This weekend’s infrastructure failure was tragically predictable,” the progressive firebrand said.
“Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. Just giving money isn’t enough. A reliable and sustainable grid must be built,” added Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)
Ironically, lawmakers had already scheduled a Tuesday press conference to mark the fifth anniversary of Maria. It turned into a clarion call for Fiona relief.
“It is our duty now our responsibility to right the wrongs,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)
“The federal government has to do its job,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) “(It) has to help the people of Puerto Rico survive, recover and rebuild.”
With Tim Balk
