COR3 allocates $38M for Hurricane Fiona reconstruction projects
The funds will support small-scale municipal recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico’s Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) has announced an additional $38 million in state matching funds to support municipal projects related to Hurricane Fiona recovery efforts.
The funding will be allocated to projects costing up to $1 million, ensuring municipalities receive financial support for small-scale reconstruction efforts, said Eduardo Soria-Rivera, executive director of COR3.
The announcement was made during the Reconstruction in Action: Guidance for Municipalities event, where COR3 officials met with mayors and municipal reconstruction teams to discuss progress and strategies to expedite recovery efforts.
“These projects, considered small due to their cost, do not have the 10% matching funds provided for other disasters through the federal [Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)] program administered by the Department of Housing,” Soria-Rivera said.
“However, in keeping with our commitment to support municipalities in their recovery process, additional funds were identified that are essential to continue rebuilding infrastructure that will improve the quality of life of our people,” he added.
The disbursement process will take place in two phases. The first phase will release 50% of the funds, while the remaining amount will be allocated once COR3 completes a progress analysis of the projects.
During the two-day event, COR3 provided municipalities with guidance on new procedural changes for accelerating project execution. Representatives from the Department of Housing outlined the process for accessing federal matching funds for disaster reconstruction.
“The conversation with municipal teams was very productive,” Soria-Rivera said. “Strategies to accelerate reconstruction at the municipal level were discussed, and action plans were established to move projects forward efficiently.”
The Department of Economic Development and Commerce’s Permit Management Office provided technical assistance to help municipalities streamline their permitting processes.
