WASHINGTON, USA – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer is leading a Congressional delegation visit to Puerto Rico from Sunday, February 16, to Tuesday, February 18, accompanied by chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Members of the Congressional delegation have invited the resident commissioner, Jenniffer González-Colón, to join them during their visit. Members will survey damage from recent earthquakes, receive briefings on the ongoing recovery efforts, and meet with displaced individuals and families.
“Following the devastation of hurricanes Maria and Irma, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico are now recovering from recent earthquakes, which have caused the loss of life and significant damage to homes, schools, power utilities, and other essential infrastructure,” said Hoyer.
“This delegation will visit the island to survey the damage and deliver an important message to the people of Puerto Rico; their brothers and sisters on the mainland are with them. The House has acted to provide additional resources, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure those suffering from back-to-back disasters have the resources they need to recover and rebuild stronger.”
On Sunday, the Congressional delegation meet with governor Wanda Vázquez Garced and Cabinet officials for a Cabinet briefing on disaster recovery efforts. The members will also meet with officials from FEMA and the government of Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) to discuss ongoing 2017 hurricane recovery efforts and new issues from recent earthquakes.
On Monday, they will visit a damaged school in Guánica as well as a temporary school that has been constructed following the earthquakes to allow students to resume classes. They will tour the Costa Sur power plant, which suffered extensive damage as a result of the earthquakes.
The members will conclude the trip with a tour of a shelter in Guayanilla to meet with people displaced from their homes after the earthquakes.