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Puerto Rico’s Federal Hurricane Aid by the Numbers. An original investigation
SHARYL ATTKISSON ^ | OcTOBER 06, 2019 | SHARYL ATTKISSON

Posted on 10/07/2019 1:42:17 PM PDT by Hojczyk

Imagine having the task of distributing the most aid money ever for a natural disaster responsibly to a government mired in corruption and under FBI investigation. That’s what’s happening right now in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico two years after two hurricanes, Maria and Irma. You have $91 billion reasons to care. That’s how much of your tax money is intended for recovery. Today, we go to Puerto Rico to follow the hurricane money and the fraud.

Sharyl: Fueling discontent in Puerto Rico is news that the FBI is investigating a number of government officials and contractors are under fbi investigation over allegations of misuse of all the taxpayer money sent in after Hurricane Maria.

The FBI has arrested six top Puerto Rican government officials and consultants.

Also charged— FEMA official Ahsha Tribble – once an Obama homeland security adviser. Tribble took the lead on getting Puerto Rico’s electric grid fixed. Now she is accused of taking bribes to steer a $1.8 billion dollar contract to a company called Cobra. Cobra’s CEO at the time and a FEMA friend of Tribble’s who went to work for COBRA were also arrested.

All have denied wrongdoing.

Both Puerto Rico and FEMA insist they’re doing what they can to get money to the needy while making sure it’s not lost to waste or fraud. Even without most of the recovery money actually in hand, Puerto Rico is slowly returning to normal.

Mego Garcia: We try to help each other recover but it was hard. It was really hard

For months, Mego Garcia says she cared for her mother and sister— both disabled— without power or running water.

Garcia: I don’t work in seven or eight months.

Sharyl: You had to close down this business?

Mego Garcia: Yeah.

(Excerpt) Read more at sharylattkisson.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government
KEYWORDS: fema; hurricane; hurricanerelief; puertorico

1 posted on 10/07/2019 1:42:17 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk

You could just hand out 30,000 dollars to everyone on the island...man are we a bunch of suckers...


2 posted on 10/07/2019 1:48:39 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk
Sharyl: Fueling discontent in Puerto Rico

Sharyl should stop fueling discontent.

She's harming innocent people in her quest for fame.

3 posted on 10/07/2019 1:52:40 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: cll

Ping.


4 posted on 10/07/2019 1:53:36 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Hojczyk

I saw reported a few months ago that Puerto Rico got ten times the aid which the Florida Panhandle got and Michael was the more powerful hurricane.

Despite this they complained that they weren’t getting enough help.


5 posted on 10/07/2019 2:21:35 PM PDT by yarddog ( For I am persuaded.)
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To: Hojczyk

Two issues that have been brought up to me by folks living in P.R.

First, the island’s government has to provide a spending plan or budget for how the recovery funds are to be spent. I have been told that said plan has not been presented, hence, no funds dispersed to the island.

Second, recovery funds are provided to home owners as proven by presenting paperwork that show proof of ownership. Many homes have been passed down generation to generation with no paperwork to back up the transfer of ownership rights. How do you expect to get funds to fix “your” home when you can’t prove that it’s “your” home.

On a related note, funding for repairs are for “permitted” structures that are up to code. This means that there is no recovery funding for the wooden apartment/home that was built on the roof of the existing concrete home, or any structure no matter how well built, that did not go through the permit process.

All of the above is anecdotal, but believable in my opinion.


6 posted on 10/07/2019 2:26:48 PM PDT by Sergio (An object at rest cannot be stopped! - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight)
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To: Hojczyk

Good friend of mine has family and a place in PR high up t he visited frequently during this event. He told me that the airport was only accepting 1 flight a day and none at night because they kept stealing the temp landing lights and containers piled high at the docks sitting in the sun unloaded


7 posted on 10/07/2019 2:53:47 PM PDT by ronnie raygun (nicdip.com)
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To: yarddog
Two important takeaways from the article.

Most American cities have an emergency fund which is used for immediate relief and FEMA reimburses later. Puerto Rico had no such emergency fund.

Before the hurricane 46% of those living in Puerto Rico were on welfare.

8 posted on 10/07/2019 3:02:00 PM PDT by Freee-dame (Best election ever! 2016)
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To: Freee-dame

When I managed Mitchell Hall, I found a bag of marijuana in the bathroom. I called the APs. They came and picked it up.

I thought no more of it until a few weeks later. Two OSI agents came to me and said they were conducting an undercover operation and wanted to use my office to make calls etc.

I never noticed a single thing going on until a bunch of Airmen were arrested. The next day they came in the office and told me what was going on. These two guys were extremely smart.

We talked for a long time. One of the agents looked like a country bumpkin and the other was a Puerto Rican. He came from a very conservative family. One thing which struck me was when he began dating, they always had an escort.

Sort of kept down the petting.


9 posted on 10/07/2019 3:17:10 PM PDT by yarddog ( For I am persuaded.)
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To: ronnie raygun
Good friend of mine has family and a place in PR high up t he visited frequently during this event. He told me that the airport was only accepting 1 flight a day and none at night because they kept stealing the temp landing lights and containers piled high at the docks sitting in the sun unloaded

Puerto Rico is corrupt. Your post is total BS. My friend Shane part of the Texas National Guard "was there" on assignment. He is a Captain. They would have stopped such in an instant. This is BS.

10 posted on 10/07/2019 3:53:29 PM PDT by cpdiii ( canecutter, deckhand, roughneck, geologist, pilot, pharmacist THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR)
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