Queens congresswomen demand info on unused Puerto Rico disaster relief

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of three Queens congressmembers demanding information on disaster relief delays in Puerto Rico. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite.

By David Brand

Three Queens Congresswomen are demanding information from the federal government about disaster relief delays in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Nydia M. Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent letters seeking documents from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following reports that unused disaster-relief supplies remained locked in a warehouse and instead of being distributed to families affected by the hurricane, which killed Puerto Ricans and devastated much of the island in 2017. The three lawmakers are also requested information from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency.

“We were moved by the resilience of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico in the face of back-to-back natural disasters, and we saw first-hand that Puerto Ricans urgently need more federal assistance,” the three members of Congress wrote in the letters.  “We believe that both the federal government and the government of Puerto Rico must work to enhance accountability and transparency and to ensure that critical relief reaches the people of Puerto Rico who need it most.”

The New York Times reported that supplies, including food and fuel, locked in a warehouse in the city of Ponce were never distributed to families affected by the hurricane. 

The three members of Congress demanded the documents from the three agencies by March 10.