Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Storm Victims Report Waits Over 5 Hours on Calls to FEMA

Long hold times contacting the Federal Emergency Management Agency are just one challenge emerging as the nation responds to Hurricane Fiona, which swamped the commonwealth last month, along with Hurricane Ian’s devastating hit to Florida.

  • By Kery Murakami

The Second-Class Treatment of U.S. Territories Is Un-American

COMMENTARY | We deserve nothing less than the full rights of citizenship, including the right to vote.

  • By Stacey Plaskett, The Atlantic

Puerto Ricans Voted in Favor of Statehood. What Happens Now?

The territory’s only likely path toward statehood would come through Democratic control of the House, Senate, and White House.

  • By Emma Coleman

Watchdog Questions FEMA Hurricane Relief Contracting

But the federal agency that has come under recent scrutiny for handling of contracts rejects Inspector General recommendations.

  • By Charles S. Clark

A Message to FEMA: Respond to Disasters Differently

Providing money to states faster after disasters, and offering funds before they strike, would make communities safer, governors said.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Appalachia, Puerto Rico Community Groups Receive $1M for Economic Development

Eight other local groups across the U.S. also will split the $10 million of Community Thrive Challenge winnings.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

A Year After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Finally Knows How Many People Died

A new, definitive study from George Washington University finds that almost 3,000 people lost their lives—and highlights the government’s failures before and after the storm.

  • By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic

Researchers Are Still Counting the Dead From Hurricane Maria

The newest estimate based on administrative data suggests over 1,100 people were killed by the 2017 storm and its fallout.

  • By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic

FEMA Acknowledges Shortcomings In Puerto Rico Hurricane Response

A new report also suggests that states and territories should shoulder more of the burden after disasters.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Still Rebuilding After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Hopes to Spur Critical Infrastructure Investment

Officials have outlined an ambitious set of P3 projects supporting electrical and water resilience, as well as economic development.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Feds Announce Relief Funding for Transit Agencies Impacted by 2017’s Hurricanes

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Fake cops in Michigan charged with felonies … Nashville’s e-scooter removal blitz … and Louisiana capitalizes on its coastal erosion.

  • By Michael Grass

Study: Hurricane Death Toll in Puerto Rico May be 70 Times Official Count

The official fatality figure after Hurricane Maria was 64. New research indicates it could exceed 5,000.

  • By Bill Lucia
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Puerto Rico Will Take Over Energy Restoration With or Without Oversight Clarity

With the start of hurricane season a few weeks away, 22,900 island residents still lack power.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

What a Wisconsin Mayor Learned From a Disaster Recovery Trip to Puerto Rico

“While the tens of millions of dollars are not there to do anything of any great size, there is the potential to start small and build an economy around local residents,” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin told Route Fifty.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Tech Lessons Learned From the Devastation of Hurricane Maria

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands' CIOs discussed data security, relationships with wireless carriers and next-level training at NASCIO’s midyear conference.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Puerto Rico's Blackout Is Now the Second-Worst in History

If you look at the number of hours customers lost access to electricity stemming from a single event, the disruption from Hurricane Maria has been massive.

  • By Akshat Rathi, Quartz

Puerto Rico’s Government Agencies Need Aid, Too

Work conditions at the territory’s Department of Justice haven’t been the same since Hurricane Maria, to the detriment of morale and legal proceedings.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Could Puerto Rico Turn Out to Be Trump’s First Infrastructure Win?

Some officials in the U.S. territory think so. And they’ve already secured a smart cities grant with hopes to expedite resilient hurricane recovery.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

The Peril of Privatizing Puerto Rico's Power Company

Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced a plan Monday to sell off Prepa, a move he hopes will ease the island’s energy and debt crises. But some groups on the island oppose the measure fiercely.

  • By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic

How Puerto Rico Is Rebuilding Its Network 3 Months After Maria

Puerto Rico's post-Maria communications effort could serve as a disaster-response playbook for other governments.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Massachusetts Offers In-State Tuition Break for Students From Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

It’s the latest way the Bay State has assisted the U.S. territories in the wake of the destruction brought by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

  • By Michael Grass