GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA has awarded the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, Electric Power Authority and the Municipality of Rio Grande $49.3 million to cover Hurricane Maria-related expenses.
The grants approved are distributed as follows:
- more than $42.5 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to reimburse other utility providers that repaired electricity systems damaged or destroyed in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
- more than $3.7 million to the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency for emergency protective measures
- nearly $3 million to Rio Grande for debris removal
To date, the FEMA Public Assistance program has obligated nearly $3.7 billion in total funding to municipalities and agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico for expenses related to hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Emergency protective measures are actions taken to eliminate or lessen immediate threats either to lives, public health or safety, or significant additional damage to public or private property in a cost-effective manner.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to eligible government organizations and certain private non-profit organizations. This assistance is granted for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged facilities. The program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from the next events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
The Public Assistance program is funded by FEMA and administered by the government of Puerto Rico. FEMA obligates funding for these projects directly to the government. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the eligible agencies, municipalities and nonprofits receive these awards as reimbursements after providing appropriate documentation.
For more information on the Hurricane María recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339
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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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