Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 26 March 2019

Puerto Rico to take over storm fund reimbursement from FEMA

By DANICA COTO FEMA through the public
Associated Press assistance grant program.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) FEMA has issued another
— Federal officials say they $2 billion for individual as-
are giving Puerto Rico’s sistance.
government greater au- Puerto Rico also has re-
thority to issue hurricane ceived $1.5 billion in com-
recovery funds, a measure munity development block
that should help speed re- grant disaster recovery
imbursement for cities and funds from the U.S. Depart-
agencies trying to rebuild ment of Housing and Urban
after the damage wrought Development. However,
by Hurricane Maria. the U.S. Government Ac-
Officials said that starting countability Office pub-
April 1, the U.S. territory will lished a report on Monday
no longer have to wait for stating that Puerto Rico
approval from the U.S. Fed- had not drawn down any
eral Emergency Manage- of the money.
ment Agency before issu- The report said HUD lacks
ing reimbursements. sufficient guidance for em-
There’s currently an aver- ployees reviewing paper-
age two-month wait for re- work related to those funds
imbursement after people and that it has not com-
submit all required docu- pleted monitoring or work-
ments. Under the upcom- force plans.
ing change, 75 percent of This June 18, 2018, file photo shows an aerial view of the Amelia neighborhood in the municipality “Congress should consider
funds will be issued within of Catano, east of San Juan, Puerto Rico. permanently authorizing
three weeks after a re- Associated Press a disaster assistance pro-
quest is submitted, with the $600 million, according to that FEMA has been slow tion.” While FEMA will no gram that meets unmet
remaining amount issued Marrero’s office. in distributing funds since longer review or approving needs in a timely manner,”
once the project is finished, Michael Byrne, FEMA’s fed- the Category 4 storm hit reimbursement requests, it the report stated.
said Omar Marrero, ex- eral disaster recovery coor- on Sept. 20, 2017, causing will conduct quarterly au- HUD said in a statement
ecutive director of Puerto dinator in Puerto Rico, said more than an estimated dits. that it historically takes
Rico’s Office of Recovery he is confident the island $100 billion in damage. “This is probably going to grantees several years to
and Reconstruction. has implemented sufficient “The perception that we’re be the most audited disas- disburse disaster recovery
Puerto Rico’s government policies and regulations to dragging our feet or with- ter in U.S. history,” Marrero funding. It also said it will im-
has 130 requests for reim- ensure that federal funds holding money is wrong,” said. pose strict financial controls
bursements pending, rep- will be correctly spent. he said. “That said, we Puerto Rico has so far re- on funds issued to Puerto
resenting a total of roughly He also rejected criticism need some documenta- ceived nearly $3 billion from Rico.q

Large new blackout strikes Venezuelan capital, provinces

Associated Press owners, 27-year-old restau- ter Monday. Meanwhile,
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) rant manager Lilian Her- as Venezuela’s economic
— A widespread new pow- nandez was bracing for and political crisis deep-
er outage spread across the worst even as service ens, many seem resigned
Venezuela on Monday, started flickering back on in to continuous disruptions in
knocking offline much of parts of Caracas. their daily routines.
the country’s communica- “We Venezuelans suffer “The important thing is for
tions and stirring fears of a all kinds of problems,” said people not to get desper-
repeat of the chaos almost Hernandez, who had just ate,” said William Rodri-
two weeks ago during the recently managed to re- guez, who sells books at a
nation’s largest-ever black- stock food that spoiled dur- kiosk under a downtown
out. ing the previous outage. highway overpass.
The outage began shortly “We need a real solution Meanwhile, the U.S. gov-
after 1 p.m. (1700 GMT) that doesn’t obey to politi- ernment warned Russia
and appeared to have af- People walk home during a power outage that suspended the cal interests.” that the reported dispatch
fected as many as 16 of subway in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, March 25, 2019. The Trump administration, of military personnel to
Venezuela’s 23 states, ac- Associated Press which has made no secret Venezuela was increasing
cording to reports on social much of the country al- televised address. of its desire to remove the tensions there.
media. ready and remaining areas But those reassurances, embattled socialist, has de- U.S. State Department
Like the previous outage, expected to come online similar to ones last time nied any role in the outag- spokesman Robert Palla-
officials blamed opponents in the coming hours. around, did little to calm es. Electricity experts and dino said Secretary of State
who with the support of the “The damage that took 5 the anger of residents in opposition leader Juan Mike Pompeo called For-
U.S. had carried out sabo- or 6 days to repair in the Caracas who even as he Guaido faults years of gov- eign Minister Sergei Lavrov
tage on the Guri dam — electrical system after the was talking filled traffic- ernment graft and incom- on Monday and said “the
source of the bulk of Ven- first attack carried out by clogged streets as they petence. United States and region-
ezuela’s electricity. the right-wing we recov- walked their way home “This outage is evidence al countries will not stand
They said the “attack” had ered today in a few hours,” after subway service in the that the dictator is inca- idly by” while Russia takes
already been controlled, Communications Minister capital was suspended pable of resolving the cri- steps to support its ally,
with service restored in Jorge Rodriguez said in a Like other small business sis,” Guaido wrote on Twit- Maduro.q