New York Sending More Help To Earthquake-Ravaged Puerto Rico

Jan. 16--New York State will send engineers, power experts and mental health professionals to earthquake-ravaged Puerto Rico, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday.

Cuomo is sending eight more engineers and utility experts from the New York Power Authority to help fix the massive power outages caused by a 6.4 magnitude quake last week.

That quake killed one man and injured nine other victims, toppled schools and knocked down homes. It was followed by a 5.2 magnitude aftershock, and another 5.9 magnitude quake Saturday.

"The people of Puerto Rico have been through hell, and while the federal administration abdicated its responsibility to help American citizens during difficult times, New York is continuing to step up to provide assistance," Cuomo said.

President Trump's Department Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday lifted a hold on $8 million in aid that was delayed since September over "corruption" and "financial mismanagement" concerns.

The aid is part of a congressional allocation to beef up natural disaster readiness following the hurricanes in 2017 that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The new Power Authority staff will join a team of 10 experts already on the ground.

The state Office of Mental Health will send professionals to help people cope with trauma from the disaster, and Cuomo has also deployed a structural assessment team to help inspect buildings for earthquake damage.

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