The US government announced today that it will award USD 18.5 billion worth of disaster recovery grants to Puerto Rico to help repair homes, businesses and its crumbling power grid as the US territory struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria.
It is the largest single amount for such assistance ever awarded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Deputy Secretary Pamela Patenaude during a visit to the U.S. territory.
"Our goal is to get people back into their homes, get people back to work and to build a stronger Puerto Rico for future generations," she said.
The money will be issued through the agency's Community Development Block Grant program.
Patenaude said that Puerto Rico planning officials will develop a disaster recovery plan in upcoming weeks.
The announcement comes as 54,000 power customers remain in the dark more than six months after the Category 4 storm hit. Officials have said they expect power to be fully restored across the island by May, just days before the Atlantic hurricane season starts.
HUD already had allocated USD 1.5 billion to Puerto Rico in February for post-hurricane recovery efforts.
Maria hit on Sept. 20 and caused more than an estimated USD 100 billion in damage. It destroyed around 70,000 homes and damaged another 300,000.
HUD also said it plans to award the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands USD 1.6 billion in disaster recovery funds to help it recuperate from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Both storms left the US Virgin Islands reeling. Hurricane Irma passed near St. John and St Thomas on September 6 as a Category 5 system, killing three people and causing widespread and significant destruction to homes and businesses.
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