Planeload of aid from Gov
AFTER SURVEYING damage in Puerto Rico, Gov. Cuomo said the island faces “a long road” to recovery but might emerge better off for having gone through the devastating experience of Hurricane Maria.
Speaking at a press conference with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, Cuomo pledged New York’s support and said a “silver lining” to the storm would be the flood of federal recovery dollars and the chance to build back the infrastructure better than it was before.
“There will be funds and there will be a lot of construction,” Cuomo said. “And I believe, at the end of the day, Puerto Rico will be better for having gone through this experience. I think it will be a stronger community and I think actually there will be improvements in the way it is built.”
The New York delegation led by Cuomo (photo) touched down in San Juan armed with 36,000 bottles of water, 10,000 ready-toeat meals, blankets, pillows, canned goods and flashlights.
They also brought with them massive power generators capable of providing electricity to hospitals and other critical sites.
“My opinion is, in person it is much worse than it appears on the TV reports,” Cuomo said late Friday after returning to New York. “The devastation of the island is really breathtaking. There are parts of the island that have as much as 7 to 8 feet of water in homes.
“The one thing that’s clear is these people need a lot of help,” he added. “And we have to remember that they’re American citizens.”
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, several emergency management officials and 60 National Guard members joined Cuomo on the trip.
“We need to make Puerto Rico whole again and we will not rest until we achieve that,” Velazquez said.
The delegation will deployed an assessment team of 10 power transmission specialists provided by the New York Power Authority to evaluate the damage to Puerto Rico’s power grid.
For Velazquez and Crespo, the crisis has hit especially close to home.
Like many Puerto Ricans on the U.S. mainland, both have been unable to contact their families since Maria’s lashing winds and flood-inducing rains pummeled the island, leaving its 3.4 million residents in the dark.
Velazquez’s hometown in Yabucoa was in the direct path of the hurricane’s landfall.
“The Puerto Rican people are resilient and the great message that we are providing to them today is that in the darkest moment we are going to be there.”
Crespo, chairman of the Puerto Rican task force in the state Assembly, said he also hadn’t been able to make contact with several family members, including his mother.
“The irony is today is Mommy’s birthday,” he said. “I haven’t talked to her in four days.”
Crespo then delivered a personal message to his mom.
“In a symbolic way, I have your birthday card, Mommy,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to deliver it but more importantly I stand here with these amazing people doing the right thing and bringing resources to the people of Puerto Rico.”