Uncertainty in Wake of Hurricane Fiona

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue to raise awareness to the destruction that Hurricane Fiona has brought about to the Caribbean--namely, to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Let me start, Mr. Speaker, by saying that yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a natural disaster that left 3.5 million Americans without power and killed over 3,000 lives.

While hurricanes in the islands are not new, Hurricane Maria exposed the vulnerability of Puerto Rico, and 5 years later, uncertainty remains in the wake of Hurricane Fiona, which occurred this past weekend.

There was a 100 percent blackout on the island when the hurricane landed. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, 73 percent of the island had no power and 60 percent of the island had no water.

I commend the Biden administration for its swift actions to declare a state of emergency for the region, and I am hopeful that they will approve Governor Pierluisi's request for a major disaster declaration soon, which will follow additional lifesaving resources for Puerto Rico.

For this reason, I join Senator Schumer and Congresswoman Velazquez in speaking with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, urging the administration to reimburse 100 percent of the costs, allow document flexibility for accessing aid, and advance funding to Puerto Rico in this critical moment.

We must do all it takes to ensure relief assistance to help residents recover. We cannot turn our backs on our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico.

Yesterday, I held a strategy planning call with leaders from New York, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and emergency services organizations in response to Hurricane Fiona.

We have witnessed catastrophic devastation across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and it will require a multilevel government approach to ensure vital resources to the region in a timely manner.

As of today, more than 1 million people in the Dominican Republic are without access to utilities and shelter.

At least 1 million people in the Dominican Republic have no access to running water.

More than 700,000 homes and businesses have been left in the dark as they suffered loss of power.

Additionally, at least 3,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and four bridges collapsed.

The situation is dire. We must do all we can to help the people of the Dominican Republic during this moment of crisis.

For this reason, I am urging the United States Agency For International Development to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team and coordinate with other U.S. Government agencies and partners to advance relief efforts.

The Federal response must be swift, robust, and continue for as long as is needed.

The impact of this devastating natural disaster hits close to home, as a multitude of my district--we have many folks in Washington Heights, in the Bronx, in El Barrio, and Harlem--have family members in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic who are in need of supplies and other disaster relief.

Mr. Speaker, my heart is with the people of the Caribbean, and we will continue to monitor this situation closely.

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