[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UNCERTAINTY IN WAKE OF HURRICANE FIONA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue to raise 
awareness to the destruction that Hurricane Fiona has brought about to 
the Caribbean--namely, to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
  Let me start, Mr. Speaker, by saying that yesterday marked the fifth 
anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a natural disaster that left 3.5 
million Americans without power and killed over 3,000 lives.
  While hurricanes in the islands are not new, Hurricane Maria exposed 
the vulnerability of Puerto Rico, and 5 years later, uncertainty 
remains in the wake of Hurricane Fiona, which occurred this past 
weekend.
  There was a 100 percent blackout on the island when the hurricane 
landed. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, 73 percent of the island had no power 
and 60 percent of the island had no water.
  I commend the Biden administration for its swift actions to declare a 
state of emergency for the region, and I am hopeful that they will 
approve Governor Pierluisi's request for a major disaster declaration 
soon, which will follow additional lifesaving resources for Puerto 
Rico.
  For this reason, I join Senator Schumer and Congresswoman Velazquez 
in speaking with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, urging the 
administration to reimburse 100 percent of the costs, allow document 
flexibility for accessing aid, and advance funding to Puerto Rico in 
this critical moment.
  We must do all it takes to ensure relief assistance to help residents 
recover. We cannot turn our backs on our brothers and sisters in Puerto 
Rico.
  Yesterday, I held a strategy planning call with leaders from New 
York, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and emergency services 
organizations in response to Hurricane Fiona.
  We have witnessed catastrophic devastation across Puerto Rico and the 
Dominican Republic, and it will require a multilevel government 
approach to ensure vital resources to the region in a timely manner.

                              {time}  1045

  As of today, more than 1 million people in the Dominican Republic are 
without access to utilities and shelter.
  At least 1 million people in the Dominican Republic have no access to 
running water.
  More than 700,000 homes and businesses have been left in the dark as 
they suffered loss of power.
  Additionally, at least 3,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 
four bridges collapsed.
  The situation is dire. We must do all we can to help the people of 
the Dominican Republic during this moment of crisis.
  For this reason, I am urging the United States Agency For 
International Development to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team 
and coordinate with other U.S. Government agencies and partners to 
advance relief efforts.
  The Federal response must be swift, robust, and continue for as long 
as is needed.
  The impact of this devastating natural disaster hits close to home, 
as a multitude of my district--we have many folks in Washington 
Heights, in the Bronx, in El Barrio, and Harlem--have family members in 
Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic who are in need of supplies and 
other disaster relief.
  Mr. Speaker, my heart is with the people of the Caribbean, and we 
will continue to monitor this situation closely.

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