FEMA allocates $45M for 153 recovery projects in Puerto Rico
Several Puerto Rico towns will benefit from 131 permanent project allocations with funds approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3.
The allocations during the week of June 12-18 total more than $45 million in additional funding for 153 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico after Hurricane María, the federal agency said.
Among the recent grants are more than $2 million for the municipality of Vieques to repair its City Hall, Fine Arts Center, the José Gautier Benitez Public School, the Victor Duteil School and Electronic Library, the Eugenio María de Hostos School and its Multipurpose Center.
The latter is where about 100 people join to celebrate the high school class graduation each year and where FEMA provided assistance in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season.
The historic buildings encompass more than 110 years of cultural heritage and have withstood hurricanes San Felipe, Hugo and now María. To date, close to $43 million has been awarded for different permanent work projects in Vieques, the agency said.
“These projects will benefit the 8,000 residents of Vieques, which include a series of buildings that house essential, government and social services such as voting centers, CESCO, CRIM, patent payments, Section 8, municipal communications and federal programs. Half of the City Hall was rendered inoperable after María, but these funds will revitalize operations,” said Vieques Mayor Víctor Emeric.
Similarly, about $1.9 million was approved for the Arroyo Convention Center, which has a capacity for about 650 people, and is “key for the community and the municipality’s economic activity,” Arroyo Mayor Eric Bachier-Román said.
Meanwhile, an allocation of more than $87,000 was approved to the municipality of Adjuntas for paving and other work in the PR-129 road, located in the Portillo Abajo Sector in Barrio Portillo. The rural roadway gives access to some 10 families that will benefit from these repairs, FEMA confirmed.
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