FEMA’S head details the agency’s hurricane recovery efforts before lawmakers today

Oct 31, 2017
Puerto Rico’s controversial contract and massive recovery will come under scrutiny

The Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with turning the lights back on in Puerto Rico

Oct 20, 2017
The mission: Put things back the way they were, including 62,000 telephone poles.
A car drives under tilted power line poles in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Humacao, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 2.
RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images

What happens when corporations rush in to help in a disaster?

Oct 9, 2017
Will aid from corporations help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria faster?
Kids bike in an area without grid power or running water about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on October 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

As workers flow into Puerto Rico, residents try to leave

Oct 6, 2017
A recent United Airlines flight carried volunteer workers into Puerto Rico and evacuated residents who wanted to leave.
Damaged homes are seen as people deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Parsing President Trump’s Puerto Rico debt comments

Oct 4, 2017
Puerto Rico’s billions of dollars in outstanding debt involves a complicated mix of obligations: general government bonds sold by Puerto Rico, sales tax-backed bonds, electric power revenue bonds … it’s a long list. Bond insurers are on the hook for a portion of the debt if the government agencies that issued the bonds fail to […]

FEMA chief said helping Puerto Rico must be a public and private effort

Oct 2, 2017
The Trump Administration plans to ask Congress for around $13 billion in new aid for Puerto Rico, according to news reports. The president is expected to visit tomorrow. Large parts of the island are still without electricity and clean drinking water after Hurricane Maria made landfall nearly two weeks ago. Yesterday, FEMA’s administrator pointedly defended […]

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Puerto Rican farms are starting over from seeds

Sep 29, 2017
Hurricane Maria devastated farmland on the island.
Irma Maldanado stands with Sussury her parrot and her dog in what is left of her home that was destroyed when Hurricane Maria passed through on September 27, 2017 in Corozal, Puerto Rico. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How federal officials assess damage and rebuilding needs after disasters

Sep 29, 2017
President Donald Trump has tweeted out criticisms of Puerto Rican elected officials over their emergency response to the devastation of Hurricane Maria. He has linked the enormous scale of devastation to the island’s poorly maintained infrastructure, and suggested that federal financial assistance for rebuilding might be impacted by the island’s multi-billion dollar outstanding debt. Experts […]

Delivering supplies across a ruined landscape is the biggest challenge in Puerto Rico

Sep 28, 2017
U.S. military operations have ramped up in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria as word of worsening conditions has spread widely. The relief effort delays are less about getting supplies to the island, officials and workers have said, and more about getting what’s already there to the people who need it. Shipping containers with water, food, […]