Hurricane Maria News

Hurricane Recovery in U.S. Virgin Islands Lags Puerto Rico’s

Puerto Rico’s economy has shown considerable signs of improvement after the hit form hurricanes Irma and Maria two years ago, while the U.S. Virgin Islands economy remains “mired in a deep slump.” That’s the finding in new report by the …

Residents Seek Backup Power as Storms, Fires Cause Blackouts

NEW YORK — Climate change has led to deadlier wildfire seasons in the American West and more severe hurricanes and storms barreling up the Southern and Eastern coasts. The dramatic weather frequently knocks out power, leading some residents of storm-ridden …

FEMA Officials Charged With Puerto Rico Hurricane Aid Fraud

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who oversaw the reconstruction of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and the former president of Cobra Acquisitions were arrested on fraud and conspiracy charges linked to recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria, according to federal prosecutors. FEMA’s …

Dorian Set to Lash Puerto Rico Before Hitting Florida Coast

Tropical Storm Dorian is about to lash Puerto Rico with torrential rains, and then is expected to gain strength and become the first major hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in 15 years. Chances are increasing that the storm will …

Businesses Learn Hard Lessons When not Prepared for Disaster

NEW YORK — When Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Carlos Melendez couldn’t contact the staffers or customers of his San Juan-based technology firm, Wovenware. Melendez learned a lesson that would help his business during the next storm, …

Congress Passes $19 Billion in Disaster Aid, Sends Bill to Trump

The House cleared a $19 billion disaster-aid plan for areas hit by hurricanes, Midwest floods and California wildfires on Monday after months of negotiations and a final delay of more than a week caused by Republican objections. The bill, passed …

Puerto Rico Oversight Board Loses Bid to Extend Claims Filing Deadline

A U.S. judge on Wednesday denied a request by Puerto Rico’s federally created financial oversight board to extend a looming deadline to file claims, the latest hurdle for its plan to recoup billions of dollars paid to bondholders of potentially …

Climate Change: The Already Present, Next Great Risk to Munis

When Miami Beach borrowed $162 million from Wall Street this week, it wanted investors to know rising seas and extreme weather are a real risk to the city and that it’s doing something about it. An increasing number of states …

Researchers Say Climate Change to Blame for Hurricane Maria’s Extreme Rainfall

WASHINGTON — Hurricane Maria dropped more rain on Puerto Rico than any storm to hit the island since 1956, a feat due mostly to the effects of human-caused climate warming, new research finds. A new study analyzing Puerto Rico’s hurricane …

‘Falling Through the Cracks’: Vulnerable Homeowners Overlooked after Disasters

WASHINGTON — It was the middle of the night when Yvonne Rawhouser’s neighbor woke her up to warn her that a nearby hillside was aflame. The wildfire that had been raging through northern California’s wine country in October 2017 was …