Puerto Rico’s government yesterday asked a judge for up to four extra weeks to meet key deadlines in the U.S. territory’s bankruptcy case, after Hurricane Maria tore through the island, bringing its fragile infrastructure to its knees, Reuters reported today. In court papers filed in U.S. bankruptcy court in San Juan, the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority sought “urgent” permission from federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who oversees the $72 billion bankruptcy, for a four-week extension on discovery in a slew of legal disputes in the case. The authority also requested that Swain reschedule an upcoming court hearing to Oct. 18 from Oct. 4, and move the hearing from San Juan to federal court in New York, where Swain is based. Read more.
In related news, Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló of Puerto Rico said yesterday that the island was on the brink of a “humanitarian crisis” nearly a week after Hurricane Maria knocked out its power and most of its water, and left residents waiting in excruciating lines for fuel, the New York Times reported today. Stressing that Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, deserved the same treatment as hurricane-ravaged states, the governor urged Republican leaders and the federal government to move swiftly to send more money, supplies and relief workers. “If we want to prevent, for example, a mass exodus, we have to take action. Congress, take note: Take action, permit Puerto Rico to have the necessary resources,” Rosselló said. Read more.
U.S. lawmakers, worried about the devastation to Puerto Rico after a powerful hurricane struck the island, are pushing for quick approval of relief funding while bracing for a battle about financing a new power system in the American territory, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Heading to Puerto Rico to assess the damage, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ran through the island’s immediate challenges, including power outages stemming in part from widespread damage to transmission lines and a dearth of trucks, other equipment and personnel to begin the restoration process. U.S. officials say that Puerto Rico faces a longer road to recovery than any other part of the U.S. hit by a hurricane, partly because the island nation needs to ship and fly in equipment and personnel that can simply be trucked in to states like Florida and Texas. Read more. (Subscription required.)
This year’s hurricane season has become one of the most destructive in recent memory. To provide assistance to those affected and direct others in how you can help, ABI encourages you to visit our Hurricane Relief webpage.
