FEMA: Puerto Rico has secured nearly $34B for 11,000 recovery projects
Most of the projects since Hurricane María struck in 2017 include hazard mitigation measures to improve infrastructure resilience.
Seven years after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, the island has secured nearly $34 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for more than 11,000 projects. Of these, 87% incorporate hazard mitigation measures aimed at strengthening infrastructure to better withstand future weather events.
“A large part of the projects that define and guide Puerto Rico’s recovery already have nearly $3.4 billion earmarked exclusively for mitigation,” said José Baquero, FEMA’s disaster recovery coordinator for Puerto Rico. “In addition to addressing the risks of future damage, we are also addressing a reconstruction that harmonizes human-made structures with the natural environment that surrounds them.”
Some key infrastructure projects include road repairs in Peñuelas, San Lorenzo, Yabucoa and Naranjito, with more than $2.2 million allocated for improvements.
In Peñuelas, an $881,000 FEMA-funded project will soon enter the bidding phase. It focuses on reconstructing roads in the Hacienda Loyola and La Colacha communities of the Barreal neighborhood.
Nature-based solutions, such as infiltration trenches, will help manage rainwater and reduce erosion. Geotextile fabric, a specialized soil-based material that aids in water drainage, will stabilize the soil, which supports plant growth and further prevents erosion and landslides in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
In San Lorenzo, more than $854,000 has already been spent on road repairs in the Quebrada Arenas sector. Geotextile fabric was used to prevent erosion, and additional measures have improved the area’s infrastructure, FEMA said.
San Lorenzo’s Recovery Office director, Héctor Román, emphasized that these repairs are crucial for the more than 100 families in this steep terrain. The work has improved water drainage and soil stability, giving residents a greater sense of security, he said.
“The infrastructure issue and being able to leave and return to their homes safely is something that Quebrada Arenas residents take into account in their daily lives,” Román said. “The municipality is therefore using FEMA funds to repair the infrastructure and improve the quality of life of the neighborhood’s residents.”
In Yabucoa, a $280,000 project restored the PR-90 highway bridge, repairing asphalt, guardrails, embankments and concrete gutters. Meanwhile, in Naranjito, more than $227,000 has been allocated for the reconstruction of a section of PR-825 in the Los Espinell sector, including embankment repairs.
