President Trump issued a state of emergency declaration in Puerto Rico on Wednesday as Hurricane Maria made landfall on the U.S. territory, according to a White House statement issued Thursday morning.
The order mandates federal assistance through the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency be made available to assist in local and territorial recovery efforts.
“Federal funding also is available to the Commonwealth and to eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,” the White House said.
The mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital thinks the island’s 3.5 million residents will likely be without power for as long as six months.
“The San Juan that we knew yesterday is no longer there,” San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told MSNBC late Wednesday. “We’re looking at 4 to 6 months without electricity.”
Storm surge is expected to hit up to 9 feet in coastal regions of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico can expect between 12 to 35 inches of rain depending on where they live.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 100 percent of the U.S. territory was without power after Category 4 storm winds and substantial flooding ripped through the Caribbean island. Intense flooding has turned city streets into makeshift rivers and many cities do not have potable water.
