President Trump on Thursday "declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" following a string of earthquakes that have damaged much of the island and left at least one person dead.
Puerto Rican officials and several other lawmakers had asked the Trump administration for the designation, which is a level above an "emergency" declaration and will authorize further funding and recovery resources. Thursday's action makes federal funding available to six municipalities in Puerto Rico, including grants for temporary housing and repairs, loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other recovery programs for individuals and businesses
Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced requested the declaration last week, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Trump's signature along with a statement outlining the included programs, reports CBS News' David Begnaud.
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Local officials began to dip into Puerto Rico's emergency fund after being left uncertain whether the federal government would provide any further aid. The Trump administration also recently began to release long-withheld disaster relief money allocated after Hurricane Maria, but it came with severe restrictions. Read more at The Hill and The New York Times.
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