Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 21 June 2018
Many in Puerto Rico still under tarps as storm threat looms

By BEN FOX much more after Maria
Associated Press tore off part of their roof,
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) leaving the house exposed
— Hurricane Maria ripped to days of punishing rain
away part of the steel roof that damaged appliances,
from Carmen Lidia Torres furniture and the floors of
Mercado's home in the their small home.
Puerto Rican capital. Nine "If only FEMA would have
months later, she is still given something more,
relying on a blue plastic I could have called
tarp to protect her home, somebody to help me,"
even with a new storm the 75-year-old Colon said,
season already two weeks noting that the family got
old. additional help from the
Torres points out where rain Puerto Rican government
seeps into the bedroom of and a non-governmental
her small house in a San organization that normally
Juan neighborhood known works in Africa.
as Barriada Figueroa, Others in their neighborhood
where the narrow streets had similar experiences.
surged with floodwaters Dilma Gonzalez, 47, said
during the Sept. 20 storm. she received $132 from
But the 60-year-old retiree FEMA, for damage to her
says she has no money to roof and kitchen that a
fix it on her own and doesn't contractor said would cost
have the documents at least $6,000 to repair.
proving home ownership She had no insurance and
that she needs to qualify for hasn't worked since the
assistance from the Federal storm.
Emergency Management "I'm worried because it's
Agency. already storm season and
"In truth, this isn't a suitable one little wind will take it all
place to live," Torres said in away," she said, gesturing
an interview at her home at her house as she
on a recent morning. chatted with neighbors on
There are thousands In this June 13, 2018 photo, houses affected by Hurricane Maria, some of them with their missing the street.
of people in similar roofs covered in sturdy blue tarp, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Angel Santos Rivera
circumstances across Associated Press was among the tens
Puerto Rico nearly nine of thousands of FEMA
months since the most but isn't there yet. there are at least 2,000 Engineers on nearly 60,000 applicants who got no
devastating storm to strike "I don't want to wait much in the capital, several homes. The agency said assistance at all. The
the island in decades. Blue longer," he said. "I have thousand more in the it has approved 457,000 75-year-old said he could
tarps or sturdier plastic kids and I have to protect metropolitan area. applications for individual neither read nor write, but
sheets installed by the U.S. them." So many temporary roofs assistance, totaling $1.3 he passed on a letter from
Army Corps of Engineers There has been significant remain, Surillo said, because billion. the agency stating that he
are still widely visible around progress in recovery in people either can't qualify The federal agency, was ineligible for assistance
the island, though FEMA general. Power, water and for loans or grants — often however, is not set up because he could not
and local government cellphone service have because they don't have as a replacement for provide sufficient proof
agencies say they can't say been restored to more the titles to their property or homeowner's insurance, that he owns the home
for certain how many roofs than 95 percent of Puerto are missing documents — which a significant portion where he has lived for 40
still need to be replaced. Ricans. Businesses are or the amount of assistance of Puerto Rico lacks. years. Upstairs, he brought
Many people lack operating and the roads they can get isn't enough Spokeswoman Jo Ann out a battered file folder
insurance or other resources are no longer free-for-alls to cover the cost of repairs. Diaz said FEMA can't with the property title,
to rebuild on their own. now that many traffic lights Local officials have been make people whole missing all the pages but
While the U.S. and Puerto are working again. There working with people to despite expectations to the one with his notarized
Rican government have are signs of economic secure new property title the contrary. "We help you signature. He shrugged as
helped with grants and recovery, with the documents, but it has been until you are on the road to he talked in the shade of
loans, they haven't been government reporting last difficult. recovery," she said. his balcony, the light tinged
enough on an island where week that unemployment "The reconstruction has That reality has slowly sunk blue from the plastic sheet
nearly half the people live for May was 9.6 percent, been extremely slow, in across Puerto Rico. Doris that protects him from the
in poverty. the lowest level in almost 30 dangerously slow," Surillo Colon and Felix Marquez, sun and rain.
Some are renters like years. said. an elderly retired couple in "It's in God's hands," Rivera
Gabriel Figueroa, a self- But housing remains a FEMA, which was accepting Catano, west of San Juan, said. "There's nothing you
employed handyman challenge. Mayor Rafael initial applications for said they received $500 can do."
in San Juan, who said Surillo of Yabucoa, the assistance through from FEMA but needed q
the owner of the house small southeastern town Monday, has had a visible
moved to the U.S. and near where Maria made presence on the island,
hasn't bothered to replace landfall, said at least 800 distributing 126,000 blue
the roof panels that were homes there still have tarps and coordinating the
blown away in the storm. temporary roofs in need installation of sturdier, but
He's saving up the $2,000 of replacement. The San still temporary, blue plastic
he needs to do it himself, Juan's mayor's office says sheets by the Corps of