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FEMA reverses decision, will continue distributing food and water aid to Puerto Rico

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Under pressure from lawmakers such as U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who took to the Senate floor yesterday to call on FEMA to continue providing aid to the people of Puerto Rico “until all of the island has access to potable water and electricity,” FEMA officials reportedly said today that the agency has reversed its decision to end the distribution of food and water aid to the people of Puerto Rico and will continue providing food and water to communities in need.

“The people of Puerto Rico are still struggling to recover from two massive hurricanes, and cutting off aid to them now would have been a travesty,” Nelson said today. “Reversing this disastrous decision was the right thing to do.”

Here’s a background article on the agency’s decision today:

In Reversal, FEMA Says It Won’t End Puerto
Rico Food And Water Distribution Wednesday

By Adrian Florido
Published: Jan. 31, 2018

A spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that the agency’s plan to end its distribution of emergency food and water in Puerto Rico and turn that responsibility over to the Puerto Rican government would not take effect on Jan. 31.

“Provision of those commodities will continue,” spokesman William Booher said. A different spokesperson, Delyris Aquino-Santiago, had earlier told NPR that it would “officially shut off” its food and water mission on the island on Jan. 31 and hand its remaining food and water supplies over to the Puerto Rican government to finish distributing. But on Wednesday, Booher said that date “was mistakenly provided.”

The agency has been working on that transition but has not finalized it, he said, adding that in the meantime, FEMA will continue providing food and water to communities on the island that need them.

The turnabout came after politicians from both political parties reacted angrily to news of FEMA’s plan and after the Puerto Rican government released a statement saying it had not been informed of the impending change. On Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties had called on the agency to reverse its decision.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson said he was “absolutely shocked” by FEMA’s decision. “I urge the administration to reverse this disastrous decision immediately and to continue providing the people of Puerto Rico with the help that they need as they are trying to recover from two disastrous hurricanes.”

His concerns were echoed by Democrats and Republicans alike, including Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

“There are still a lot of people that wonder why we are giving foreign aid to Puerto Rico,” Rubio told USA Today. “You have to remind them, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and its residents are U.S. citizens.”

But perhaps the most surprising reaction came from the government of Puerto Rico itself. In a statement, the island’s public security secretary, Hector Pesquera, said that while he was aware that FEMA would eventually transfer responsibility for distributing food and water supplies over to the island’s government, “this has not happened yet and we were not informed that supplies would stop arriving.”

His statement contradicted information that FEMA sent NPR in an email last week. An agency spokeswoman wrote that “FEMA will continue to provide commodities to the State [Puerto Rico] until January 31st.”

But as public concerns mounted over FEMA’s plans following NPR’s report, the agency released a new statement. While reiterating its belief that emergency food and water supplies were no longer needed on the island, it said that FEMA would “continue to support the Government of Puerto Rico to meet the needs they identify.”

Spokesman Booher said one thing that had not changed was FEMA’s plan to end the shipment of new food and water supplies to Puerto Rico. He said the agency is confident it has enough of a stockpile there already to meet the need that remain. If supplies run out, he said FEMA would reconsider purchasing more. He did not say when the agency would finalize its plan to hand the remaining supplies over to the Puerto Rican government.

Gov. Scott Speaks with FEMA on Recovery for Puerto Rico

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Governor Rick Scott today spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long regarding the FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program and the importance of continued communication between federal, state and local partners as families continue to recover from Hurricane Maria.
Following a decision by Puerto Rican officials working with FEMA, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) was notified that enrollment in the federal TSA program will be limited to individuals whose homes in Puerto Rico have not yet been determined by FEMA to be restored to safe and livable conditions and have power.
Governor Scott said, “We have worked non-stop to ensure families from Puerto Rico coming to Florida are offered every available state resource and the assistance they need to get back on their feet following Hurricane Maria. Our top priority is to ensure that every family displaced by Hurricane Maria gets the resources they need and that federal, state and local partners continue to work together to ensure a full recovery for these individuals.
“During my call with Administrator Long, we discussed the importance of ongoing federal, state and local support in the delivery of services to Puerto Rican families. I expressed to them the importance of making sure that all families from Puerto Rico in Florida know exactly what federal resources are available to them. I also asked FEMA what federal resources were available to help families return to Puerto Rico once it has been determined it is safe for them to do so. Florida is the most welcoming state in the nation and we invite every family from Puerto Rico to visit our Disaster Recovery Centers to receive information and assistance.”

Gov. Rick Scott to Host Puerto Rico Relief Efforts Roundtable

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Tomorrow, January 4th, Governor Rick Scott will host a roundtable with Florida education leaders, community officials and volunteer organizations to discuss the ongoing relief efforts for those who have been displaced by Hurricane Maria.
WHAT: Puerto Rico Relief Efforts Roundtable
WHEN: 3:30 PM
WHERE: Multi-Agency Resource Center
6490 Hazeltine National Drive Suite #170
Orlando, FL 32822

Gov. Rick Scott Hosts Puerto Rico Relief Efforts Roundtable

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Governor Rick Scott today hosted a roundtable at the Albizu University Miami Campus with Florida education leaders, community officials and volunteer organizations to discuss the ongoing relief efforts for those who have been displaced by Hurricane Maria. Last month, Governor Scott urged Congress to pass a disaster relief funding package which includes critical funding to help Florida school districts educate displaced students from Puerto Rico. Read more HERE.

Gov. Rick Scott: Congress Must Pass Hurricane Disaster Relief Funding

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NAPLES, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott issued the below statement urging Congress to pass a disaster relief funding package which includes critical funding for local school districts enrolling students displaced from Puerto Rico, supports key infrastructure projects, and provides relief for citrus and agriculture in Florida.

Governor Scott said, “For more than three months, Floridians have been fighting to recover from the horrible destruction of Hurricane Irma, especially those in Florida’s citrus industry. Now, while we continue to recover from Hurricane Irma, we are also lending a helping hand to our neighbors from Puerto Rico who have been displaced by Hurricane Maria and are now coming to Florida.

“The much-needed disaster relief funding recently proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives is encouraging. For months, I have been urging the federal government to assist Florida’s recovery and I am glad to see that they have listened to our requests and included it in their proposal. The recovery funding would aid Florida citrus growers, help our school districts educate displaced students from Puerto Rico, and assist to repair Florida infrastructure. Now, Congress must vote and pass a bill immediately.

“Congress also needs to make it clear that the funding included in their package for infrastructure projects should go toward the needed critical repairs to the federal Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee. As Hurricane Irma was bearing down on our state, we were forced to evacuate communities surrounding the lake due to safety concerns identified by the Army Corps of Engineers. The lake reached dangerous levels, and Florida cannot go through another hurricane season without exploring all avenues of federal funding to fix the dike. For the first time, we secured $50 million in state funding to help expedite these federal repairs this year, and it is imperative that Congress acts on this federal project now.” 

Action taken by Governor Scott to urge federal disaster relief:

  • On October 5th, the Governor entered into a host-state agreement with FEMA – Florida is the only state willing to enter into this type of agreement to help families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
  • On October 6th, Governor Scott spoke with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
  • On October 11th, Governor Scott traveled to Washington D.C. joined by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam to meet with members of the Florida congressional delegation to discuss Hurricane Irma and Florida’s citrus industry.
  • On October 11th, Governor Scott met with Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chairman of the House Committee On Agriculture Congressman Mike Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Congressman Michael McCaul, and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón.
  • On October 11th , November 13th and November 17th, the Governor spoke with White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.
  • On October 30th, the Governor’s office sent a letter Office of Management and Budget. See the letter HERE.
  • On November 9th, the Governor activated the State Emergency Response Team to assist families displaced by Hurricane Maria. See the Governor’s press release HERE.
  • On November 15th, the Governor sent a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Ryan urging them to support Florida’s recovery following Hurricane Irma, Florida’s efforts to support those displaced from Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ongoing repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike. See the Governor’s letter HERE.
  • On November 28th, Governor Scott spoke with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
  • On December 15th, the Governor spoke to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging immediate action to help Florida citrus growers.
  • On December 19th, the Governor spoke with Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Senator John Hoeven.
  • On December 19th, the Governor spoke with Congressman Vern Buchanan regarding citrus relief.
  • On December 20th, Governor Scott spoke with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Gov. Scott: Florida Highway Patrol Deploys Law Enforcement Assistance to Puerto Rico

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Governor Rick Scott today announced the deployment of 50 Florida Highway Patrol members to Puerto Rico in response to an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request from the Puerto Rico Police Department. Troopers participating in this detail will be conducting security operations and traffic control in and around the city of San Juan. The detail is scheduled to last one month.
Governor Scott said, “Florida remains committed to helping Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. In response to their request, we are sending 50 FHP troopers to assist the Puerto Rican Police Department with their security operations and traffic control needs. I want to thank these brave men and women for sacrificing time away from their families during Thanksgiving to serve in Puerto Rico. We will continue to work with state, federal and local partners to assist Puerto Rico in any way that we can.”
Director of the Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gene S. Spaulding said, “I am extremely thankful for the Troopers who have volunteered to be away from their families during Thanksgiving to assist our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. I’m proud of the men and women of FHP who always rise to the occasion, and I am confident that they will continue to uphold the Patrol’s core values of courtesy, service and protection.”
As part of its mission and statutory authority, the FHP routinely provides assistance to fellow law enforcement agencies following natural disasters or emergencies, and will not overextend its available resources or jeopardize its ability to respond to a current or emergent need.

Commissioner Adam Putnam to Visit Puerto Rico Family Response Center

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam will join Representative Rene Plasencia, President and CEO of the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Julio Fuentes, and Executive Director of Latino Leadership Marucci Guzman tomorrow at the Puerto Rico Family Response Center in Orlando.
Event: Puerto Rico Family Response Center Visit
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Puerto Rico Family Response Center
8617 E. Colonial Drive, Suite 1200
Orlando, Fla. 32817
The Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Latino Leadership to provide people arriving in Florida from Puerto Rico with a seamless transition as they relocate.

Senator Torres echoes calls from United Way for FEMA housing assistance in Central Florida

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As the rising number of Hurricane Maria refugees from Puerto Rico continues to pour into central Florida, state Senator Victor Torres (D-Orlando) echoed calls for FEMA to immediately dispatch emergency housing to temporarily shelter these families as they search for ways to rebuild their lives.
“The impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria are placing huge demands on our public services,” said Senator Torres, who gave impassioned testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday when he called on state Senate members to increase funds for state education, healthcare and housing needs. “We need to focus on building and expanding more housing options for Floridians and evacuees from the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico who are seeking refuge in our great state.”
Earlier this week, Central Florida Heart of Florida United Way Executive Director Jeff Hayward called on the Federal government, through FEMA, to engage in providing support for additional housing options in central Florida. Prior to Hurricane Irma and Maria, central Florida was already dealing with a shortage of available workforce housing. Based on the market value of rental properties in central Florida, workers would need to make $20.00 per hour in order to afford rent in the area.
Senator Torres’ district includes both Orange and Osceola counties which contain the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans living in Florida. FEMA has designated Florida as a Host-State for evacuees from the islands and approved costs could be eligible for 100 percent reimbursement by the federal government. Senator Torres is working with local and state officials for FEMA approval of both the deployment of mobile housing units and authorization of TSA (Temporary Sheltering Assistance) for evacuees to receive rental housing funds.
For more information please contact Al Yorston at (407) 846-5187