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Senate hearing finds Puerto Rico housing agency lacks emergency funds, requests documents
Summary
At a July 7, 2021 Senate hearing, Department of Housing subadministrator María Ivette Cabeza Díaz told lawmakers the agency requested $3 million for emergency operations but has not received those funds; senators pressed on shelter certification, supplies and contractor responsibilities and asked for documentation within five business days.
The Senate convened a public hearing July 7, 2021, in Salón Luis Negros López to review emergency-shelter plans under Senate Resolution 225. María Ivette Cabeza Díaz, subadministradora of the Department of Housing, told the commission the department submitted the requested emergency plan but has no allocated emergency-operating budget despite a prior request for funds.
Why it matters: lawmakers said the island is in an active seismic period and entering hurricane season, and they pressed the department on whether identified shelters are certified, properly resourced and staffed. The commission requested records to verify readiness and to inform further legislative action.
Key findings and exchange
The department told senators it maintains an emergency-management structure composed of a support committee and zonal coordinators covering ten emergency zones. On staffing, Cabeza Díaz said the emergency area has about 75 coordinators (zone and municipal coordinators) and that there are eight…
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