Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico | 2020
In 2017, Hurricanes Maria and Irma swept across Puerto Rico, causing a total of $167 billion in damages. Following these disasters, the U.S. Federal Government allocated $50 billion to fund recovery efforts. Yet, the PRDOH-administered Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) has identified an unmet housing need of $34 billion following these federal recovery efforts. To fulfill these unmet needs, the CDBG-DR prioritizes relocation from designated flood- and landslide-prone risk areas through a buyout or acquisition process.
Relocating families from high-risk areas is a disaster mitigation priority for both FEMA and PRDOH. Relocation, like eviction, is a direct form of displacement. Prioritizing relocation without alternatives like disaster mitigation and community rehabilitation also leads to displacement.
Investing in communities - especially those in or near high-risk areas - provides multiple benefits that can help break cycles of economic insecurity and vulnerability to disasters. Supporting communities and building social capital through ecological restoration develops both social networks and resources, thereby strengthening resilience and economic sustainability.
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Photo Credit: Caleb Oquendo via Pexels
This project was completed in partnership with Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, with funding support from the Kresge Foundation.
© 2020 by Earth Economics and Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico. All rights reserved.