New York officials pledge $280,000 to Puerto Rico resiliency hubs

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $280,000 partnership on Friday to help Puerto Rico manage emergencies. The funds will support the Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. The goal is to equip 10 community-run resiliency hubs across the island. These hubs will receive increased water storage capacity. Some locations will also install rain-collection systems, kitchen infrastructure, and solar power with battery storage.

The officials made the announcement during a four-day, annual conference in San Juan. They met with local nonprofits on Friday to discuss the island's ongoing crises. Puerto Rico continues to struggle with chronic power outages and intermittent water shortages. The territory is still rebuilding from Hurricane Maria and other disasters.

Mamdani framed the recent U.S. midterm election results as an opportunity to support working-class residents. He stated that the election showed that what is often described as a natural crisis is actually a political one. He said, “There’s a potential in that we can finally start to deliver for working-class people across this country.”

Hochul described the election results as a new day for Puerto Rico. She warned that the federal government would be held responsible for past commitments. She noted that the last two years showed an abandonment of that commitment. She said, “We hope to have all those wounds heal, making sure that we continue bringing resources for resiliency, energy projects, building up the grid, as well as healthcare being restored, nutrition programs.”

The new partnership follows the cancellation of major federal solar projects by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Those canceled projects were intended to help thousands of low-income families. One specific project worth $400 million would have installed solar and battery storage systems in low-income homes and for those with medical needs.

The U.S. Department of Energy stated that the funds initially slated for solar projects will now maintain the power grid. The grid was damaged by Hurricane Maria in September 2017 and had already weakened due to a lack of maintenance. The decision prompted outrage on the island as federal support for solar projects faded.

Six Puerto Rico residents sued the U.S. Energy Department and Secretary Chris Wright last week. They challenged the scrapping of a $1 billion federally funded program for solar power and battery storage. The lawsuit noted that the cost of such systems remains out of reach for the majority of Puerto Ricans.

Ileana Ríos, a 63-year-old resident of Arecibo, is among the plaintiffs. She is diabetic and requires electricity to refrigerate her insulin. Her son has asthma and needs to use a nebulizer. The lawsuit states that Ríos regularly loses power during storms, sometimes for several weeks. The other plaintiffs also have serious health conditions that require electric equipment.

The lawsuit requests that a judge order the U.S. Energy Department to reinstate the grant program. The agency said it is working closely with Puerto Rico’s governor to stabilize the power grid. It criticized the previous administration for advancing a Green New Deal agenda over building an affordable and reliable electrical grid.

Sybelle Rodriguez del Valle, director of operations at the nonprofit Barrio Eléctrico, described months of uncertainty while awaiting the administration’s decision. The organization provides electric service to more than 500 families. It was poised to serve 1,200 families with federal funds. It had completed only about one-third of its projects before the program ended. The organization lost an estimated $16 million to $20 million in funding.