Torres Travels to Puerto Rico to Survey Hurricane Recovery Effort
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Norma Torres (D-Pomona) announced that she is traveling to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to survey the damage and recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria on a delegation with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) and House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05). Torres is the Ranking Member of the Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over all matters regarding insular areas of the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"It has been over a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and it is unacceptable that our fellow Americans continue to face a humanitarian crisis," said Torres. "I am traveling to the Islands to see firsthand how the relief efforts are progressing and what additional resources are needed. We also must scrutinize the Federal Government's rebuilding effort to make sure we are preparing communities to withstand similar storms in the future."
The delegation will travel to St. Croix, Las Piedras, and the interior of Puerto Rico where they will view hospitals damaged by the hurricane and meet with affected residents. Also joining the delegation are Reps. Rob Bishop (UT-01), Jeff Denham (CA-10), and Anthony Brown (MD-04). In September, Torres led a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop and signed by all Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee calling for an oversight hearing of the relief and recovery efforts on the Islands. To date, no hearing has been held.