The Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition issued the following statement:
“We are alarmed by the magnitude of the 6.4 earthquake that shook the island earlier this morning and the series of aftershocks that followed in what has been, so far, two weeks of tremors. We are also alarmed by the lack of a substantive response from federal agencies to this emergency. Patients had to be evacuated from hospitals, a school building collapsed and the island is without power. Immediate assistance is needed from FEMA to support vulnerable populations.
“We have long warned that the people of Puerto Rico are in imminent danger not only because of the island’s vulnerability to hurricanes and earthquakes but also because of the Trump Administration blocking the release of $18 billion in funding that Congress authorized more than 660 days ago. This federal aid is supposed to support critical reconstruction work, such as repairing tens of thousands of homes damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, mitigating risks of flooding and landslides, and rebuilding a clean and resilient power grid.
“We are also deeply troubled by the dangerous impact of the austerity program imposed by the fiscal control board overseeing Puerto Rico. Under this program, many schools had been closed without reportedly a proper evaluation of which structures could better withstand seismic activity. The thought alone of this earthquake occurring while classes were in session is devastating.
"The lives of Puerto Ricans are not to be gambled with. We urge Congress, the media and Puerto Rican stateside communities and allies to keep the pressure up for the federal aid that is overdue to the island. Puerto Rico needs resilient structures NOW, not after more lives are lost."
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