US to channel another US$1bn to Puerto Rico for disaster relief

The US federal emergency management agency (FEMA) will allocate more funds to disaster relief in Puerto Rico as the island tries to repair infrastructure in the wake of several natural disasters in recent years.

FEMA's federal coordinator for disaster recovery in the US territory, José Barquero, said that over the next year, the agency expects to "complete the funding allocations for all Hurricane María-related projects, representing nearly US$1bn in additional funding to that already approved," reported news agency EFE.

The priority for the agency is that the reconstruction in Puerto Rico should be “more resilient,” he added.

FEMA has so far allocated nearly US$28.9bn to around 10,300 recovery projects related to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane María in 2017.

Puerto Rico's central office of recovery, reconstruction and resilience (COR3) will end 2022 with 7,100 projects linked to Hurricane María and recent earthquakes in various stages of execution, with 2,400 projects under construction.

FEMA has also allocated US$807mn to 750 recovery projects related to the earthquakes that took place in 2020 and is supporting the development of critical infrastructure through its public assistance and risk mitigation programs.