Helping our fellow Americans recover from Hurricane Maria
Below is a copy of my e-mail newsletter from Oct. 4, 2017. If you would like to receive my newsletter please sign up here.
The recent devastation that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are dealing with after Hurricane Maria is unimaginable. The damage has impacted 3.6 million American citizens in the region, and with significant power outages, the telecommunications infrastructure is completely destroyed.
While some initial steps were taken to offer assistance, we must do more for our fellow Americans. I have joined 145 of my colleagues in the U.S. House to urge the Administration to appoint a senior general to oversee all recovery efforts, to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and to increase personnel to assist local law enforcement. You can see the letter to President Trump here. I also had an opportunity to discuss the issue on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. Watch the video here:
The main place to find up-to-date information on the federal response to Hurricane Maria is on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website. If citizens are seeking information or a point of contact regarding Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands see below:
- For the U.S. Virgin Islands visit www.VIalert.gov or www.USVIupdate.com
- For Puerto Rico visit the Puerto Rico’s Federal Affairs Administration:
- By Email: maria1@prfaa.pr.gov
- By Phone: (202) 800–3133
I am so proud of citizens across northern Ohio who are already taking action to help our fellow Americans.For instance, individuals and groups helped send six semi-trucks worth of supplies to relief efforts and many other efforts are ongoing with nonprofits, churches, and other community organizations stepping up.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee which has oversight over all federal government spending activities, I will continue to fight for an aid package in Congress that will provide the resources for the recovery process and for the Department of Defense to make its assets available to Puerto Ricans who need help. You can learn more by visiting our website at Kaptur.house.gov, following us on Facebook or Twitter, or calling our local office at (800) 964–4699.
