For new EPA regional administrator, Puerto Rico crisis is personal
The
"I have family members we can't reach because there's no cell communication," Lopez said. "My cousin just left me a very short message saying 'We're OK, we love you.' It's very frustrating. That, for me, provides even more motivation to engage in this new role."
Lopez, who has served as a state assemblyman for the
Already he will be tasked with responding to the crisis in
He's already discussed the possibility of personally visiting the island during his first days on the job, Lopez said. While he hasn't had formal briefings on the
In the short term, Lopez will look at getting electronic and transportation systems functioning to make basic communication possible. The latest reports indicated more than 90 percent of the island's electric grid remains down.
Lopez recalled how immediately following hurricanes Irene and Lee, residents in
"[The grid] has to be operable not just for the government, but so people can be identified from a humanitarian standpoint," Lopez said. "The process of getting resources to the door is often the faster process, what's harder is getting to the people and homes who need them desperately."
President
Trump also suggested the storm had thrown
Lopez reiterated he hasn't started the job yet so hasn't received any formal briefings on the government's response. His experience with Irene and Lee taught him it takes time to make meaningful headway and mobilize resources, he said, which can be frustrating for residents.
Two issues that fall outside of Lopez's jurisdiction are that of
"The economic recovery is as much a part of the entire recovery effort. Firsthand, I know that those communities struggling financially had the longest and most painful road to recovery," he said, citing areas like
In formulating a longer-term response to the damage, Lopez said residents and officials must find ways to better protect properties from future floods, something he credited
"That will be very difficult for people of the island, because the rush will be to build and get things up and running as they were before the storm," he said. "But it's not a question of if another storm hits, but when."
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