Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, says she plans to hold hearings in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in coming weeks to determine how Congress might help with their long-term recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“Just as we will take care of the people of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, I want to make sure that the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands know that we stand united with them during these exceptionally difficult times, and that we will work with them, as partners, to make their islands stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for whatever the future may bring,” she said.
Murkowski made her comments on Oct. 3, on the Senate floor. The Alaska Republican chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction for U.S. territories.
The senator said she will visit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with other committee members once the situation there has stabilized. She will also meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is tasked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with rebuilding Puerto Rico’s electric grid, and the Department of Energy, to explore solutions to modernize Puerto Rico’s grid during the rebuild.
As of Oct. 1, five percent of customers in Puerto Rico had their power restored, she said.
In the Virgin Islands, 15 percent of customers in St. Thomas and 10 percent of customers in St. Croix have had their power restored, including airports and hospitals.
In the immediate term, the primary relief that Congress can provide is through the appropriations process, she said. “We will soon be considering another tranche of disaster relief funds so that those impacted by these hurricanes have the food, water and medicine they need as recovery efforts continue,” she said.
