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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
