The obligations include funds for road signs, roads, baseball fields and public buildings
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA and the Central Office for recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, obligated over $44 million for recovery efforts related to Hurricane María. Among the nine projects that were obligated yesterday are those for the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works, the University of Puerto Rico and the municipality of Juana Díaz.
Over $18.7 million was obligated to the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation to replace road signs in 416 roads across nearly 814 miles. This project addresses damage to road signs in the regions of Guayama, Humacao, Mayagüez and Ponce.
“I am very pleased with this important obligation from FEMA, which gives us the opportunity to begin work on the installation of road signs that were totally or partially damaged by Hurricane María. These signs will not only help drivers reach their destinations, but also inform them about the traffic-related regulations that apply. I would like to thank all the FEMA components that made this obligation possible, which is of vital importance in rebuilding our road sign system,” said engineer Carlos M. Contreras Aponte, secretary for the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works.
The University of Puerto Rico was awarded nearly $7.3 million for repairs to its Bayamón campus.
For his part, the president of the institution, Dr. Jorge Haddock, was pleased with the designation of the funds by FEMA to complete the reconstruction of the building that is home to the School of Business Administration, the Department of Engineering and several faculty offices on the Bayamón Campus.
"This is a very important step for the University of Puerto Rico, since this building was destroyed by Hurricane Maria. We appreciate the work and commitment of our employees with the main teaching center in Puerto Rico, who have served as facilitators to comply with the requirements of the obligation and disbursement of these funds that will be used to demolish the building and build a new structure that meets every safety standard," said Dr. Haddock.
The municipality of Juana Díaz also received nearly $5 million for the Raúl Torres baseball park, an important community landmark. Ramón Hernandez, the mayor of said municipality, recognized the significant efforts that led to the obligation.
“I am grateful above all in the name of our beloved city of Juana Díaz, in the name of all the sportsmen, in the name of all those who have made history in this great ball park, which has produced great baseball stars and above all, in memory of the contributions of some of our greats in the sport,” said Ramón Hernandez, the mayor of Juana Díaz. “I am also grateful to those who do the work, to all who were involved. This is excellent news for our city and for the athletes who use the Raúl Torres park.”
The remaining obligations were awarded to the municipalities of Adjuntas, Bayamón, Cidra, Naranjito, Yauco and the Puerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation.
To date, FEMA has obligated nearly $6.4 billion to Puerto Rico as part of FEMA’s Public Assistance program.
Funding for permanent work includes projects like roads, bridges, water control facilities, buildings and equipment, utilities and park and recreation facilities as authorized under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.
FEMA works with COR3 through the agency’s Public Assistance program to obligate recovery funds to private nonprofit organizations, municipalities and agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico for expenses related to hurricanes Irma and María.
For more information on Puerto Rico’s recovery visit fema.gov/disaster/4339 and www.recovery.pr. You can also follow FEMA’s and COR3’s social networks on Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, Facebook.com/COR3pr and Twitter @COR3pr.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362) 711/VRS - Video Relay Service). Multilingual operators are available. (Press 2 for Spanish). TTY call 800-462-7585.
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