Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued an order on yesterday delaying two upcoming hearings that were scheduled for Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, TheStreet.com reported. The first of these was to take place in New York in an adversarial proceeding brought by a bond insurer. The oral arguments that had been scheduled will be moved to Oct. 4 from Sept. 27. The second, Puerto Rico's monthly general hearing that was to take place in Puerto Rico, has been delayed from Oct. 4 to an as yet undetermined date. Judge Swain added that these proceedings will take place in New York until further notice with "every effort made to facilitate viewing from the San Juan courthouse." In her order Swain noted the depth of the crisis currently taking place in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Read more.
In related news, Puerto Rico’s health care system is grappling with widespread power losses, crippled hospitals and dwindling medical supplies nearly a week after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory, according to doctors and relief workers, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Securing more fuel for generators and clean water for patient care are “two important priorities” for the island’s hospitals and clinics, said Kenneth Sturrock, the federal health coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who was on the ground in Puerto Rico yesterday. The National Disaster Medical System has sent 330 health-care workers from the U.S. mainland to assist Puerto Rico, he said, and U.S. lawmakers are pushing for quick approval of hurricane aid. 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.
