FEMA details Puerto Rico hazard mitigation project

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials have detailed a nearly $2 million allocation for the initial phase of a $25 million Puerto Rico hazard mitigation project.

“With the first phase of this project, which includes the contracting process, identifying the engineering firm that will perform the evaluation, design, and other procedures, we take an important step towards communities having more reliable facilities,” FEMA Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero said. “By having an alternate source of energy, we help address the lack of electricity that greatly affected these places during Hurricane Maria.”

The initiative stems from the need for services provided by critical facilities, which include police stations and government centers amid disasters, to preserve people’s lives and safety.

The funding is provided through the FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). It enables facilities such as police stations, courthouses, government centers, and emergency response offices to transform schools into shelters during emergencies to provide services during power outages.

“We will impact 35 police stations with the installation of electric generators, which will allow us to provide service to residents during electric service interruptions,” Department of Public Safety Secretary Alexis Torres said. “Our commitment, together with the Public Buildings Authority, is to impact as many police stations as possible throughout the island.”

Cabo Rojo Emergency Management Director Eliot Santiago Ortiz said the impact of having the generator is every time there is a power outage, the communications system will be functional, as well as the 9-1-1 system and the system that links emergency agencies with 9-1-1.