Washington-based Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon today criticized the Federal State Department’s determination to temporarily close the offices that issue passports on the island.
“I think it is irresponsible to have closed the service of passports in Puerto Rico,” the official said at a press conference from the Convention Center in Miramar.
According to González Colón, the main reason for the closure of that office was the lack of electric power and telecommunications services.
“I have already requested a meeting with the Federal Department of State so that it can be expedited and processed (passports) because you can not leave this service to the Island. I am asking that, in the same way that operations have been opened here to work emergency agencies, the Federal Department of State opens an office here so that passports can be processed, “he insisted.
On the other hand, he revealed that the “second biggest complaint” that his office receives is about the postal service, so he requested another meeting to discuss “how this will work on the Island.”
The expressions of González Colón arose in the middle of a press-conference that was offered next to the coordinator of the federal government in Puerto Rico, Michael Byrne; and Captain of the Coast Guard on the Island, Captain Eric King, who provided information on the federal investment in the island a month after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
According to the resident commissioner, emergency management has been a joint effort of multiple federal agencies that have so far disbursed $ 626,711,526 in this initial response to teams and staff in the various facets such as disaster loans, funds to individuals, count on the costs of operations such as the installation of hospital hospitals, logistics and rescue missions, among others.
For funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to individuals and homeowners who suffered losses due to Hurricane Irma, 10,533 applications were filed and $ 1.1 million was disbursed; while Hurricane Maria registered 835,206 applications and disbursed $ 113,256,221 to individuals.
1,145 applications have been received so far for Disaster Loans Granted by the Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) and $ 2.3 million has been approved.
