Politics

Trump To Send $13 Billion In Aid To Puerto Rico, Still Struggling In Aftermath Of 2017’s Hurricane Maria

U.S. President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump and local officials, stops to speak with reporters outside a hurricane relief distribution center at Calvary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

REUTERS

Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
Font Size:

The Trump administration is sending an additional $13 billion in aid to Puerto Rico to assist the still ongoing recovery efforts Friday after the U.S. territory was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the aid is the largest disaster relief grant from FEMA in history, aside from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Trump was criticized by Puerto Rico leaders for his response to the hurricane at the time, but the current governor Wanda Vázquez Garced tweeted thanks to the president Friday. (RELATED: Is Puerto Rico’s Death Toll From Hurricane Maria Even HIGHER Than We Thought?)

“Federal funding of $9.6 billion will allow the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority to repair and replace thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, electrical substations, power generation systems, office buildings and make other grid improvements. The $2 billion grant for the Puerto Rico Department of Education will focus on restoring school buildings and educational facilities across the island,” McEnany said.

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump throws a paper towel roll as he visits the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017. Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria thrashed through the US territory, much of the islands remains short of food and without access to power or drinking water. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump throws a paper towel roll as he visits the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people in Puerto Rico, a number almost 20 times higher than initial reports indicated, according to a follow up report the territory’s government released in August of 2018.

“Although the official death count from the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety was initially 64, the toll appears to be much higher,” the report noted. “That estimate was later revised to 1,427.”

Trump has criticized the island’s leaders as corrupt in the years since the storm, suggesting they didn’t use congressional aid funds properly.