Letter to Congress: Drop FOMB role in managing Puerto Rico disaster aid

WASHINGTON, DC - Over 40 local and national organizations in Puerto Rico and mainland U.S. have signed a letter led by Power 4 Puerto Rico asking congressional leadership to remove Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board from its current role managing disaster aid and to create a mechanism for community input.

The letter was sent to the chairs and ranking members in the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as top congressional leaders in the House and Senate. The letter reads in part:

“We write to express grave concerns about the misuse of federal disaster aid meant for hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico. Prompted by reports of mismanagement at every stage of the disaster recovery process, we have joined together to request that you improve accountability and transparency by putting disaster recovery experts and impacted communities in charge of PuertoRico’s rebuilding. As you continue to oversee the federal response to Hurricane María, we ask that you consider and implement the Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition’s roadmap for Community Driven Rebuilding, which specifically calls for community involvement in key decisions moving forward.”

The Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition will continue its outreach to appropriate committees and leadership to make sure the allocation of disaster aid is improved and made more accountable.

The full letter can be accessed here.