Oct 24 Senate passes $36.5 billion disaster aid bill By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The Senate passed a $36.5 billion emergency aid measure Tuesday to refill disaster accounts, provide a much-needed cash infusion to Puerto Rico, and bail out the federal flood insurance program. Continue reading
Oct 24 Democrat urges probe of Puerto Rico power contract to Zinke neighbor By Matthew Daly, Associated Press A Democratic congressman on Tuesday called for an investigation into a $300 million contract awarded to a small company based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's hometown of Whitefish, Montana. Continue reading
Oct 23 Senate presses ahead on $36.5B disaster relief package By Associated Press The measures contains almost $5 billion to assist Puerto Rico's central government and various municipalities that are suffering cash shortfalls after Hurricane Maria choked off revenues and strained resources. Continue reading
Oct 22 Psychological first aid must be part of disaster relief By Alani Gregory, STAT The danger of natural disasters lies not only in the tremendous loss of life and property, but also in the psychological toll they take on survivors. Continue reading
Oct 21 Appeal for hurricane aid backed by former presidents raises $31 million By Will Weissert, Associated Press All five living former U.S. presidents attended a concert Saturday night in a Texas college town, raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey. Continue reading
Oct 20 WATCH: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gives update on Puerto Rico By Corinne Segal The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to hold a briefing on Puerto Rico at 1:15 p.m. ET. Watch the updates here. Continue reading
Oct 19 Watch 7:05 Why restoring Puerto Rico’s power is so difficult By PBS News Hour Both federal and local authorities have faced criticism for the speed of Puerto Rico recovery efforts. A month after Hurricane Maria, some 80 percent of the island remains without electricity. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with José Sánchez, of the U.S. Army… Continue watching
Oct 18 Karen Pence to outline goals for art therapy initiative By Darlene Superville, Associated Press WASHINGTON — When Karen Pence found out that an art therapist in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico couldn't afford the clay her clients needed, she sprang into action. Continue reading
Oct 17 Watch 6:05 Puerto Ricans still don’t have reliable drinking water, and fears of contamination are rising By PBS News Hour It’s been almost a month since Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, killing at least 48 people, but citizens on the island are still coming to grips with the scale of the devastation. William Brangham speaks with David Begnaud of CBS… Continue watching
Oct 13 Watch 5:58 News Wrap: Ryan pledges more assistance for Puerto Rico By Travis Daub Continue watching