Thursday, 22 May 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > ‘We’re with you,’ Biden tells Puerto Rico ahead of visit
World

‘We’re with you,’ Biden tells Puerto Rico ahead of visit

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
‘We’re with you,’ Biden tells Puerto Rico ahead of visit
SHARE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will survey damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, where tens of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after the storm hit.

The Category 1 hurricane knocked out electrical power to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, 44% of whom live below the poverty line.

Power has been restored to about 90% of the island’s 1.47 million customers, but more than 137,000 others, mostly in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico’s southern and western regions, continue to struggle in the dark. Another 66,000 customers are without water.

Biden has pledged that the U.S. government will not abandon Puerto Rico as it starts to rebuild again, five years after the more powerful Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

“We see what you’re going through, and we’re with you,” Biden told Puerto Ricans and Floridians in a message Sunday on his official Twitter account.

Florida is cleaning up after Hurricane Ian churned across that state last week, killing more than 60 people, decimating some coastal communities and flooding others. Biden plans to visit Florida on Wednesday to survey damage.

The president, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden and Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, was to touch down Monday in Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city on the southern coast. Most of the storm damage is in southern Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said he would update Biden on recovery efforts.

“We will make sure to keep working together to ensure the continuity of a reconstruction already underway,” the governor tweeted on Sunday.

Fiona caused catastrophic flooding, tore apart roads and bridges, and unleashed more than 100 landslides when it hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18. At least two people died after being swept away by floods, and several others were killed in accidents related to the use of candles or generator during the island-wide power outage.

Government officials have estimated some $3 billion in damages, but warn that costs could rise significantly as evaluations continue.

Some people in Puerto Rico wondered whether Biden’s visit would change anything as they recalled how President Donald Trump visited after Hurricane Maria hit as a more powerful Category 4 storm in 2017, and tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd in a display that riled many.

Manuel Veguilla, a 63-year-old retired mechanic who lives in a remote community in the hard-hit northern mountain town of Caguas, said he didn’t expect his life to improve in the aftermath of Fiona, which cut off his neighborhood from any help for a week.

“They always offer the lollipop to the kids,” he said, referring to Biden’s visit. “But in the end, the outcome is always the same. The aid goes to those who have the most.”

Criswell, who discussed the aftermath of Fiona and Ian on four Sunday TV news programs, echoed Biden’s promise to Fiona’s victims.

“We have not left Puerto Rico,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Criswell said on ABC’s “This Week” that FEMA personnel were sent to the island before the storm hit and that “they’re going to stay with the people of Puerto Rico” through the recovery efforts.

Biden recently told Pierluisi that he authorized 100% federal funding for a month for debris removal, search and rescue efforts, power and water restoration, shelter and food.

The lack of electrical power on the island led to the temporary closure of businesses, including gas stations and grocery stores, as fuel supplies dwindled amid heavy generator use. As a result, many cheered the Biden administration’s decision to temporarily waive a federal law so that a British Petroleum ship could deliver 300,000 barrels of diesel.

Many also have begun demanding that Puerto Rico be fully exempted from the law, known as the Jones Act, that requires that all goods transported to Puerto Rico be aboard a ship built in the U.S., owned and crewed by U.S. citizens and flying the U.S. flag. This drives up costs for an island that already imports 85% of its food.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also said Puerto Ricans would not be forgotten.

Rubio said the island appeared to be “in better position to respond this time around” due to the prepositioning of personnel and supplies before the storm hit and because part of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid had been rebuilt after Hurricane Maria.

“We will do everything we can, we always have, to support Puerto Rico now in the recovery after this, yet another devastating storm,” Rubio said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Putin promises to free Medvedchuk in response to his wife’s plea Putin promises to free Medvedchuk in response to his wife’s plea
Next Article Brazil’s Bolsonaro and the right outperform, defying polls Brazil’s Bolsonaro and the right outperform, defying polls

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

‘The Fireplace Inside’ evaluate: A boxing biopic whose punches do not at all times land

The story of Flint Olympian Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, The Fireplace Inside marks the feature-length directorial…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Relics and militants: Vatican fraud trial sprawls the globe

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s financial trial took a series of surreal turns Thursday…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Bob Saget’s family wins injunction to keep death photos secret as fatal injury blamed on hotel headboard

A Florida judge has temporarily granted a request from the late comedian Bob Saget’s family…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Defense Firm Said U.S. Spies Backed Its Bid for Pegasus Spyware Maker

A team of executives from an American military contractor quietly visited Israel numerous times in…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Australia information stay: Bridget McKenzie disputes Liberals’ declare on cause for Coalition break up; NSW to get extra rain and floods
World

Australia information stay: Bridget McKenzie disputes Liberals’ declare on cause for Coalition break up; NSW to get extra rain and floods

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
NSW floods: hundreds stranded in mid-north coast with extra heavy rain to return
World

NSW floods: hundreds stranded in mid-north coast with extra heavy rain to return

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Israeli troops hearth ‘warning shots’ at 25 diplomats visiting occupied West Financial institution
World

Israeli troops hearth ‘warning shots’ at 25 diplomats visiting occupied West Financial institution

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
‘Clock is probably ticking for Littleproud’: NSW Nationals MPs criticise ‘distasteful’ transfer by federal counterparts
World

‘Clock is probably ticking for Littleproud’: NSW Nationals MPs criticise ‘distasteful’ transfer by federal counterparts

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?