N.Y.ers stand by Puerto Rico
ALBANY — Amid ongoing criticism of the federal relief effort, New Yorkers continue to step up with aid for storm-battered Puerto Rico.
Gov. Cuomo announced Tuesday that three major aid shipments totaling more than 425,000 pounds of supplies donated from New Yorkers arrived in Puerto Rico in recent days aboard chartered 747 cargo planes and a JetBlue passenger flight.
The donated goods, gathered from collection sites around the state, included 283,000 half-liter bottles of water, 85,000 diapers, 42,000 baby wipes, 40,000 containers of baby food, 15,000 canned goods, 15,000 juice pouches, 8,600 solar lamps and 6,300 pounds of dry food. State Homeland Security Commissioner Roger Parrino was also dispatched to the island to oversee distribution of the supplies.
“When things are at their worst, New Yorkers are at their best, and this state has proved that once again with the overwhelming generosity that has been shown for our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria,” Cuomo said. “Make no mistake, the recovery process is only beginning, and the path that lays ahead for Puerto Rico is a difficult one, but New Yorkers are in this for the long haul.”
Cuomo said 25,000 pounds of supplies were carried aboard a JetBlue flight that arrived in Puerto Rico on Saturday and the rest were transported to Puerto Rico aboard two 747 cargo planes chartered by music and entertainment company Tidal. The company also transported 100,000 pounds of donated supplies collected from Miami.
News of the New York aid shipments comes as House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced plans to visit Puerto Rico on Friday with a five-member delegation — including the chairman and top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee — to view hurricane devastation and meet with local officials. The House is expected to vote this week on an emergency spending package that includes billions more in relief for Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida. The Trump administration has requested at least $30 billion in emergency funding to pay for ongoing hurricane relief missions.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, however, says the island needs more and has asked Congress to provide at least an additional $1.4 billion to help rebuild and fund needed social programs.
Prior to the recent aid shipments, New York had already sent more than 150,000 bottles of water, 4,000 canned goods, 17,000 packages of baby wipes, 4,000 packages of diapers and 10 generators to the island. State police troopers and National Guard troops and helicopters from New York have also been dispatched to the island.