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New York Gov. Cuomo makes 3rd visit to Puerto Rico after Hurricane María

By on December 4, 2017

SAN JUAN – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrived Saturday in Puerto Rico for a third time after Hurricane María whipped the island on Sept. 20. He had lunch with some 450 New York power workers and 44 of the over 300 New York National Guard members who are assisting in the island’s recovery efforts.

The state has also lent Puerto Rico four Black Hawk helicopters and 14 airmen, as well as more than 70 Port Authority personnel and over 130 state troopers.

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Villa Hugo, Puerto Rico on Dec. 2, 2017 (Courtesy)

Cuomo announced that an additional 1,000 community water filtration systems will be distributed in the coming weeks through the Empire State Clean Water Fund, a $1 million initiative. In partnership with the Carlos Beltrán Foundation, 225 filtration systems have been distributed so far. The systems can filter 12 liters per hour, “enough water for 75 to 100 people per day,” according to a release from the governor’s office.

Besides donating more than two million bottles of water to the relief effort, New York has provided food, medication, lamps and other basic necessities.

While on the island, Cuomo also criticized the federal government for treating Puerto Ricans like “second-class citizens,” saying officials have not done “what they needed to do.”

“The [New York] governor has been helping Puerto Rico since before the storm,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said in a press conference with Cuomo. “I can’t stop reiterating what that has meant to the people of Puerto Rico. One thing is to talk about help, the other is to go ahead and do it.”

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