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Fast Money & Foreign Objects
By —
Danica Coto, Associated Press
FEMA: Puerto Rico running out of time as storm season nears
Nation Apr 6, 2018 3:18 PM EDT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it will take up to an estimated $50 billion to help rebuild Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria and warned that the U.S. territory is not ready for another disaster.
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Byrne said some of the money will go toward strengthening the island’s power grid since the storm destroyed two-thirds of its distribution system. More than 50,000 power customers remain in the dark, but he said 96 percent of all customers now have electricity.
“We’ve done the Band-Aid,” he said. “We’ve patched the system back together.”
Long said the recovery process has been slow in part because supplies ranging from construction equipment to power poles have been scarce in light of the natural disasters that hit the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands last year.
Officials said FEMA will have a presence in Puerto Rico for several years to help it rebuild.
FEMA: Puerto Rico running out of time as storm season nears
meanwhile in important things that aren't being addressed....
