Local officials work on alternatives to ensure flow of FEMA funds

Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Executive Director Eduardo Soria Rivera and Gov. Jenniffer González Colón during a meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in January. (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)

By The Star Staff

Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) Executive Director Eduardo Soria Rivera announced on Sunday that in response to a notification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an additional review of the federal funds disbursement process is being conducted nationwide.

Consequently, the Puerto Rico government is considering proactive measures to ensure the efficient flow of funds allocated for the island’s reconstruction as FEMA faces a possible shutdown amid cuts being made by the administration of President Trump.

“The Government of Puerto Rico is committed to distributing federal funds quickly and effectively,” Soria Rivera said. “Since this new review affects all states and territories receiving FEMA funds, we are exploring various sources of state funding to maintain a steady pace of disbursements or advances. This approach will enable municipalities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to continue their reconstruction projects.”

The initiative, the official said, reflects the central government’s dedication to partnering with municipalities, state entities and nonprofit organizations focused on rebuilding the island in a resilient manner after the extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Fiona, as well as earthquakes and Tropical Storm Ernesto, among other natural disasters.

During a meeting of Trump’s Cabinet last week, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem informed the president that the agency managing federal disaster relief efforts may soon be shut down.

“We’re eliminating FEMA,” Noem stated, referring to an agency that has overseen the response to more than 4,300 disasters nationwide since its establishment 45 years ago. Trump first proposed the idea of closing the agency just a few days after returning to the White House.

“FEMA has really let us down, let the country down,” Trump said while touring areas of North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene in late January. Later that same day, after traveling to Los Angeles to meet with officials responding to the historically destructive fires in the city, Trump expressed that it should not be the federal government’s responsibility to assist states and cities during disasters.

“I say, you don’t need FEMA. You need a good state government,” he remarked. “You fix it yourself.”

In January, Trump established an advisory council to review FEMA’s performance and subsequently signed an executive order calling for state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in emergency preparedness and response.

Officially, neither Trump nor Noem, who oversees FEMA as the head of the DHS, has the authority to eliminate the agency on their own; only Congress has that power on paper. However, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has already moved to shut down other government agencies, including USAID, which raises concerns that FEMA might face a similar fate. More than 200 of FEMA’s employees have already been terminated by the Trump administration.