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Florida Congressman Concerned About Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Fund

Damage from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Photo:  Puerto Rico National Guard by Sgt. Jose Ahiram Diaz-Ramos
Damage from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Photo: Puerto Rico National Guard by Sgt. Jose Ahiram Diaz-Ramos

Central Florida Congressman Darren Soto is asking the president why funds for Puerto Rico to recover from Hurricane Maria haven’t been sent to the island.

Congressman Darren Soto and Senator Bill Nelson sent a letter to President Trump asking why it’s taking so long to get 89 billion dollars in disaster relief to Puerto Ricans.

He said Puerto Rico has only received $5 billion  of this fund.

“That is being used to run the government predominantly and not as much for just disaster relief," said Soto. "This next package is really where a lot of the recovery funds are going to be included in.”

Soto said more funds are on the way.

“The 8 to 9 billion dollars that’s set to go to Puerto Rico needs to flow quickly so that we can uh get these damages fixed," said Soto.  "Everyday that’s goes by it gets worse.”

Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson requested an investigation into Puerto Rico’s power outages and why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ is reducing the number of utility works on the island.