FEMA earmarks $30M+ for 71 recovery projects in Puerto Rico
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, announced the allocation of more than $30.4 million in funds for 71 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico due to Hurricane María.
These funds were obligated between May 29 and June 4, the federal and local agencies confirmed.
Among the recent grants is more than $2.5 million for the municipality of Mayagüez to repair the Parque Sultana I public housing complex. The project consists of seven public housing buildings located in the Barrio Guanajibo, with a total of 74 units and one administrative building. Window replacements and roof repairs are some of the work that will benefit the hundreds of residents.
“Improving the quality of life of our residents and promptly addressing their needs has always been a priority for us. This is why we appreciate the obligation of these funds, which is very timely as we address situations of great importance in different housing complexes,” said Puerto Rico Public Housing Administrator William Rodríguez.
On the other hand, close to $1.6 million were approved to the municipality of Quebradillas to asphalt the Callejón Sonera in Barrio San Antonio and the Callejón El Fósforo in Barrio Cocos. These roads provide access to about 5,000 families.
“We haven’t seen an impact of this kind in this neighborhood and when you make such meaningful injections of funds, residents are motivated, they identify with and take pride in their area. This project will improve the quality of life of residents and will be of great benefit to other citizens,” said Quebradillas Mayor Heriberto Vélez.
Similarly, in the east of the island, more than $266,000 was approved to the municipality of Fajardo for paving, building a concrete retaining wall and other repairs on the Pomarrosa road in the Barriada Obrera neighborhood and Chiro Vazquez street. The latter is a rural road that connects with the PR-982, one of the main roadways in the municipality.
Looking to protect the federal investment, part of these obligations will be used for hazard mitigation, the government agencies said. These are measures taken to reduce the risks of future disasters.
For this purpose, the installation of a secondary membrane roof system is being considered for the Parque Sultana project, while in Quebradillas, the installation of concrete curbs and gutters, among other measures, are proposed.
Meanwhile, the useful life of the pavement on the two roads in Fajardo will be extended with geotextile fabric to protect the asphalt, the agencies added.
