In Bristol Borough, Local Puerto Rican Community Gets Update On Storm Recovery

More than a year after two powerful hurricanes hit the American territory of Puerto Rico, the long recovery process continues, the congresswoman from the island said as she was briefing locals.

Republican Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the island’s lone elected federal representative, and Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Middletown gathered in a conference room in the Bristol Borough Municipal Building Thursday to provide an update on Puerto Rico following the storms that directly or indirect led to the deaths of approximately 3,000 Americans.

Gonzalez-Colon, who is called a “resident commissioner” and cannot vote in congress, said she relies on support from lawmakers like Fitzpatrick, who visited the island last Thanksgiving, to get things done for Puerto Rico.

Alternating between English and Spanish, Gonzalez-Colon said Puerto Rico needs to use federal recovery funds with an eye toward the future.

“We need to invest it well so we can get the most of it,” she said of funding recovery projects.

On the island, the congresswoman said, recovery money is being used and there is plenty of employment as work to repair damaged areas is underway.

“When people leave the island, they don’t leave because of the weather. You know that. They leave because of opportunities – health care, education, a personal situation where they need to leave … I’m fighting to get those opportunities back home,” she said.

Some of the biggest issues that remain, aside from the physical damage, are retaining the culture and dealing with the long-term mental health needs of the residents.

“You don’t see a broken leg or someone in a wheelchair but it can kill you,” Gonzalez-Colon said of mental issues related to the 2017 hurricanes and their aftermath.

Members of the audience brought concerns about the response by the federal government following the storms.

Bristol Borough resident Karen Rodriguez raised issue with the way FEMA handled the island following the storm.

“We need oversight,” Rodriguez said. “There is no oversight for FEMA.”

A pastor from Bristol Township mentioned he had problems getting supplies, part of over $1 million raised, over to the island following the storms due to shipping problems.

“It took us two and a half months to send the first container,” Pastor Harry Torres of Templo Internacional De Restauracion said.

Gonzalez-Colon said recovery supplies and materials are being shipped to the island from other countries but the Jones Act, a law that regulates maritime commerce between American ports, had constrained efforts. She said policy needs to be shaped around doing what is best for residents.

In addition to the Jones Act, logistics in the time directly following the storms was hamstrung by debris in the water, lack of communication, and other infrastructure issues.

Bristol Borough businessman Joel Berrocal said his group sent supplies to the island territory via the U.S. Postal Service and with those who were traveling to Puerto Rico. In his comments, he noted a family member on the island said it was easier to get food products shipped over from the mainland than waiting in line for it at the grocery stores in Puerto Rico.

Fitzpatrick told the crowd he believes Gonzalez-Colon should have a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives and aims to change that through supporting statehood.