House to approve unused schools for emergency shelters

By The Star Staff

The island House of Representatives is preparing to approve a measure today that would designate an unused school in each municipality to serve as a shelter in the event of an emergency, such as the impact of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or an earthquake.

House Bill 32, authored by House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, requires the secretaries of the departments of Housing and Education to evaluate public schools identified as unused through Act No. 124-2015, the “Special Law for the Identification of Unused Schools,” in order to designate at least one of those schools per municipality to serve as an emergency shelter, as well as designate at least one unused school per zone, according to the Zoning Division of the Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration, to serve as a shelter for families where at least one of its members requires special medical or health care.

“Recognizing our island’s vulnerability to the occasional threat of atmospheric phenomena and seismic activity inherent to our geographic location, and fulfilling a public interest, it is the duty of this Legislative Assembly to enact legislation to ensure that our municipalities, their communities, and families with members who have limited mobility or require special medical care have shelters prepared to accommodate these citizens when they are in danger, have lost their homes, or have lost access to shelter among their family members or close friends during a state of emergency,” the House speaker wrote in the bill’s preamble.

“Making these unused campuses available in case of an emergency will not only provide security for vulnerable citizens, but the use of these facilities will also prevent disruptions to our students’ school year or their return to classes,” Méndez added.

For the thousands of Puerto Rico residents with physical, mental, medical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities, natural emergencies like those experienced during and after Hurricane Maria and the earthquakes that occurred in southern Puerto Rico in early January 2020 pose an even greater challenge, the veteran lawmaker noted. The same is true for the elderly and others with special medical needs. Protecting those populations and their families when a disaster strikes requires advance planning for the provision of safe shelter and emergency health services, Méndez said.

The schools that could be used as shelters are those that, according to the parameters of Law No. 124-2015, are owned by the Education Department and which have already been designated as unused.

Reps. Omayra Martínez Vázquez and Tatiana Pérez Ramírez co-authored the legislation.