The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently earmarked more than $1.5 billion to aid Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Officials said the funds were provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program and would support long-term recovery of seriously damaged housing and local businesses in Puerto Rico.
“President Trump and the entire HUD family stand with our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico to help them recover from these devastating hurricanes,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson, said. “These recovery funds will help repair damaged homes and businesses. As local leaders, along with their citizens, develop their recovery plans, HUD will reduce regulatory barriers and remove any unnecessary roadblocks to speed long-term recovery.”
As part of the process of granting the allocation, officials said HUD relied on data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine the extent of unmet housing and small business needs in the areas most impacted by the disasters.
The analysis revealed thousands of middle and lower income homeowners and renters experienced serious damage to their residences and who were not adequately insured for their losses.
On Sept. 8, 2017, Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017, which appropriated $7.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding for major disasters declared in the 2017 calendar year.