For new EPA regional administrator, Puerto Rico crisis is personal

Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY)

Oct. 03--SCHOHARIE -- For Peter Lopez, his first challenge as a regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency is personal.

The Schoharie resident's father is from Puerto Rico, and he has family still living on the island in Arecibo, where communication is difficult in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

"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 102nd District since 2007, was named last week the EPA's administrator for Region 2, which encompasses New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He will be sworn in on Oct. 10, he said.

Already he will be tasked with responding to the crisis in Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria nearly two weeks ago, and is only beginning to assess the damage in some areas. In formulating a response, Lopez said he will lean on his experiences representing areas that were ravaged by hurricanes Irene and Lee in 2011.

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 EPA's response to the storm, he understands the agency has been assessing the status of drinking and wastewater, as well as debris management.

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 Schoharie County were forced to communicate by word of mouth and by taping pieces of paper to neighbors' doors. Among the victims of the 2011 floods were his parents, whose whereabouts were unknown for two days.

"[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 Donald Trump's administration has received criticism for its response to the storm. On Tuesday, the president visited Puerto Rico, where he praised both his administration's reaction to the hurricane, as well as island officials for the death toll thus far, which he said compared favorably to Hurricane Katrina.

Trump also suggested the storm had thrown the United States budget "a little out of whack."

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 Puerto Rico's debt and its economic capabilities. However, addressing both will be key in ensuring a successful recovery of the island, Lopez said.

"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 Cobleskill, which still suffers some after-effects of the floods.

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 New York state with doing in the aftermath of Irene and Lee.

"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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