Congressional Hispanic Caucus wants meeting with FEMA to discuss Puerto Rico recovery

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is calling for a meeting with top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to discuss what steps they are taking to help recovery efforts in Puerto Rico one year after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

In a letter sent Thursday to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Deputy Federal Coordinating Officer Tito Hernandez, the lawmakers said they are “extremely alarmed” by the challenges the people of Puerto Rico continue to face 12 months after the storm. The Democratic lawmakers said they want answers on how recovery efforts were handled, adding they need to ensure the strides are taken to prevent the level of destruction and fatalities in the future.

{mosads}“We have numerous questions regarding reports that the disbursement of federal funds to Puerto Rico have been extremely slow, and that the agency has decided to reject requests to extend the full federal cost share for much of FEMA’s ongoing work. Funding by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Medicaid, and FEMA are critical to Puerto Rico’s recovery,” they wrote.

“Many families whose homes were damaged or destroyed have not been made whole, and families who were displaced are being cut off from aid to defray the expense of living in temporary housing,” the CHC members added. “Medical care and basic services are still inadequate to service the Island’s population. Significant debris remains throughout the Island, and more than half of the work orders to ensure homes are habitable have yet to be completed.”

The group went on to blast Long’s remarks questioning the validity of studies like the one conducted by George Washington University showing the death toll in Puerto Rico at 2,975, a much higher tally than the initial count of 64. They said comments like President Trump’s assertion the numbers were fabricated, and Long casting doubt on their legitimacy, undermine the gravity of the situation.

“President Donald Trump recently made numerous statements on Twitter denying this death toll, touting his Administration’s response to Maria as an ‘unsung success,’ and blaming Democrats for inflating the death toll to make him look bad,” they wrote.

“These comments are downright offensive to the thousands of families who lost loved ones after Maria. We were also terribly disappointed to hear Mr. Long’s comments on national TV questioning the validity of studies’ findings on Hurricane Maria and claiming that the studies ‘are all over the place.’”

The group alleged the administration’s “inability to acknowledge facts” is a deliberate attempt to “distort reality” on the issue and “erodes public trust” the government is capable of handling the aftermath of a natural disaster.

“Never again can we let so many U.S. citizens suffer while the President and Executive branch remain so publicly disinterested,” they continued. “Therefore, as the leadership organization for Hispanic Members of the House and Senate, we respectfully request you to meet with the Caucus to follow up on these important matters.”