Senators pledge to back Puerto Rico rebuilding

epa06248896 A handout photo made available by Department of Homeland Security shows the destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, on  23 September 2017 (issued on 06 October 2017). Puerto Rican government is reporting that much of the island is still without power and access to drinking water on 06 October 2017.  EPA-EFE/Kris Grogan HANDOUT  HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Bloomberg

US lawmakers pledged to back Puerto Rico’s recovery as Governor Ricardo Rossello prepares to request a multibillion dollar Congressional aid package to help rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
Rossello said his government would make a request to Congress by January for long-term assistance. The US territory continues to dig out after the Category 5 storm left much of the island in tatters and caused an estimated $80 billion to $100 billion in damages. He made his case to a bipartisan delegation of US Senators on Saturday, as they flew over some of the island’s hardest hit areas. “We need the resources so that Puerto Rico can get out of the emergency stage, stabilise, and then start rebuilding,” Rossello told. Puerto Rico has said it needs as much as $8 billion in emergency funding to keep the government running and respond to the disaster while it prepares a separate request for long-term assistance.

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