COR3 disbursed $271M for recovery and reconstruction work in 1Q22
The Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), disbursed $271 million during the first quarter of the year, corresponding to reimbursements and advances for the recovery and reconstruction work carried out by the subrecipients for the damage caused by hurricanes Irma and María, as well as the earthquakes of 2020 and COVID-19.
“The $271 million disbursed in January, February and March represent 75% of the total paid last year, which reached $358 million, as well as 60% of the reimbursements and advances made in 2020, when $457 million were dispersed,” said COR3 Executive Director Manuel Laboy.
The procedures to increase the efficiency in the reimbursements process to the municipalities are part of the efforts established in COR3 to attend to the needs of the mayors, with whom he maintains constant communication to identify projects with priority in their towns, Laboy said.
“In this way, we continue to advance the reconstruction on the island, while ensuring that each money disbursed meets all the requirements required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid warnings and refund of money during the process of audits and project closures,” said Laboy.
“Our goal is to reimburse at least $1 billion in 2022 and according to our projections, I’m confident that we will achieve it,” said Laboy.
“There is a team of Puerto Rican professionals dedicated only to the municipalities, we assist them with technicians to complete and submit their reimbursement requests, we have gone to offer them training in everything related to compliance with federal requirements and recently we held workshops on project management best practices,” added Laboy.
While saying that “all projects are important,” municipal projects are a high priority since they represent 75% of all projects mandated by FEMA, Laboy noted.
These are Jayuya with $21.2 million; Orocovis with $16.6 million; Maricao with $14 million; Ponce with $13.2 million; Carolina with $12.2 million; Coamo with $11.4 million; Yabucoa with $9.9 million; San Juan with $8.6 million; Naranjito with $8.5 million; Utuado with $8.1 million; Villalba with $7.5 million; Bayamón with $7.1 million; Salinas with $6.9 million; Canóvanas with $6.3 million; and Aguada with $5.4 million.
