OVER $1 MILLION IN FEMA FUNDS FOR WARNING SYSTEMS IN COASTAL
MUNICIPALITIES
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20250121/over-1-million-fema-funds-warning-systems-coastal-municipalities]


Release Date: 
June 11, 2020 

_More than 918,000 residents in 17 municipalities will benefit from
these obligations_

GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO – FEMA obligated OVER $1 MILLION to repair
sirens that help disseminate key information across long distances
during an emergency. These systems produce alerts in case of flash
floods, rivers exceeding their embankments and wildfires. As hurricane
season gets underway, repairing and updating these warning systems in
17 municipalities is part of the island’s ongoing recovery efforts.

“Disasters occur without waring and reestablishing these systems
allows communities to act quickly during an emergency. These recovery
funds will help families, especially those that live in vulnerable
areas,” said Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator for Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alex Amparo.

For the municipality of Humacao, the warning system proved especially
helpful when Hurricane María made landfall.

“These sirens were installed in Punta Santiago and Palmas Del Mar to
alert citizens in an emergency situation and to safeguard lives.
During the hurricane, the siren had to be activated to alert citizens
on sheltering. Thanks to this initiative, these people were saved,”
said Marcos I. Ortiz, Systems Officer at the Emergency Management
Office in Humacao.

Among the obligations to repair these systems is NEARLY $58,000 for
the municipality of Toa Baja, which required replacing many of its
electrical components. For the roughly 90,000 residents of this
coastal town, the alarms represent a step forward in their recovery
efforts as well as for a potential response in the future.

“Toa Baja was the first municipality after the hurricane to repair
its alarms because it was a priority. We invested in repairing these
sirens knowing that FEMA would reimburse these funds. It is an
extraordinary conduit for mass communication. FEMA’s assistance was
a fundamental element for the recovery and will help our municipality
be better prepared than before Irma and María,” said the mayor of
Toa Baja, Bernardo "Betito" Marquez.

Similarly, the municipality of Hatillo was approved for OVER $65,000
to repair three alert systems, located in Hotel Punta Maracayo, the
Celia Monroseau passive park in the Hatillo del Mar neighborhood and
the Municipal Police Station, in Comercio Street. Over 4,000 people
will benefit from these repairs, which include roughly 1,000 residents
in neighboring towns.

“The Tsunami Ready program is very important for all Hatillo
residents because it is a warning system for everything related to
earthquakes and tsunamis in our region. This way, people can prepare
for emergencies and at the same time protect themselves and their
families,” said the mayor of Hatillo, José A. “Chely”
Rodríguez Cruz.

Likewise, the municipalities of Aguadilla, Añasco, Arecibo, Arroyo,
Camuy, Cataño, Carolina, Dorado, Fajardo, Guayama, Isabela, Juana
Diaz, Maunabo, Salinas and Santa Isabel were also assigned FEMA funds
to repair their tsunami alarm systems.

“Without a doubt, the recovery process is underway, addressing all
the areas and sectors that are important for dealing with any future
situation. In this case, warning systems are an important element for
many communities because they serve as a means for prevention and
saving the lives of citizens. We will continue to collaborate with
both FEMA and the municipalities to keep developing projects that will
make the island stronger and more prepared for natural disasters,”
said the Executive Director of the Central Office for Recovery,
Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, Ottmar Chávez.

FEMA works with COR3 through the agency’s Public Assistance program
to obligate recovery funds to private nonprofit organizations,
municipalities and agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico for
expenses related to hurricanes Irma and María. To date, OVER $6.8
BILLION has been approved for Puerto Rico under FEMA's Public
Assistance program.

For more information on Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane
María, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339
[http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4339]and recovery.pr
[http://www.recovery.pr/]. You can also follow FEMA’s and COR3’s
social networks on Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico
[http://www.facebook.com/femapuertorico], Facebook.com/COR3pr
[http://www.facebook.com/cor3pr]and Twitter@COR3pr.

                                                                    
    ###

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race,
color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English
proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been
discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362)
711/VRS - Video Relay Service). Multilingual operators are available.
(Press 2 for Spanish). TTY call 800-462-7585.

Follow us at:
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[http://www.facebook.com/femapuertorico]
www.twitter.com/femaregion2 [http://www.twitter.com/femaregion2]