WHERE IS THE ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE HIT BY HURRICANE MARIA?

NRDC: Our nation has been rocked by three catastrophic hurricanes over the past five weeks. This rash of disasters has taxed the nation’s capacity to respond and provide assistance. Nowhere has this has been more evident than in our slow reaction to provide assistance to our fellow Americans living in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma. NRDC demands that President Trump and Congress take immediate action to address what is rapidly becoming a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

Fourteen days have passed since Hurricane Maria first made landfall in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, yet Congress has failed to make any new funding available to cope with this unprecedented disaster. Fourteen days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas and two days before Hurricane Irma made landfall on the mainland of Florida, Congress passed and President Trump signed legislation making $15.2 billion in additional assistance available from FEMA, HUD, and the Small Business Administration. These funds provide immediate assistance to individuals to find food and shelter and cover communities’ costs for debris removal and initial repairs to critical infrastructure. But similar funds still await those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and our nation’s efforts at assistance are falling short. Continue reading>>

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