FEMA has awarded more than $195 million to Puerto Rico to cover costs related to Hurricane María.
These awards bring the amount of funds obligated under FEMA’s Public Assistance program to $4.7 billion.
The latest grants approved are as follows:
- More than $158 million to the Puerto Rico Department of Education for emergency protective measures.
- More than $11 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for emergency protective measures. FEMA has awarded PREPA a total of $1.9 billion.
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.
Other recent grants provide funding for creating architectural and engineering designs to repair or rebuild critical infrastructure:
- More than $15 million to the Puerto Rico Department of Education for administrative costs.
- Nearly $4 million to the University of Puerto Rico for administrative costs.
- More than $1.8 million to the Municipality of Cayey to repair roads and bridges.
- More than $1.8 million to the Municipality of Aguada to create architectural and engineering designs to repair or rebuild critical infrastructure.
- Nearly $1.6 million to the Municipality of San Juan for administrative costs.
- More than $1 million to the Municipality of Las Marias to create architectural and engineering designs to repair or rebuild critical infrastructure.
- More than $1 million to the Municipality of Rincon to create architectural and engineering designs to repair or rebuild critical infrastructure.
FEMA works with Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency, or 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.
Assistance is available for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged facilities. The Public Assistance program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
FEMA obligates funding for claimed projects to the applicant through COR3. The agency and COR3 continue to work together to expedite recovery funding and reimbursement for all eligible costs.
For more information on the Hurricane María recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339.