With Tropical Storm Dorian moving through the Caribbean, on Tuesday, Florida’s two senators urged President Donald Trump to agree to Puerto Rico’s request and declare a pre-landfall emergency for that island.
In the letter, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called on Trump to ensure that full federal resources are made available for the safety of the American citizens in Puerto Rico.
“We write in full support of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the island in anticipation of Tropical Storm Dorian. As current projections indicate, Tropical Storm Dorian is forecasted to be near hurricane strength when it moves close to Puerto Rico. As such, we urge you to immediately approve this request to ensure that full federal resources are made available,” Rubio and Scott wrote.
The two senators noted that Puerto Rico was hit hard by Hurricane Maria almost two years ago and is still recovering from that storm.
“Puerto Ricans are still in the process of recovering from Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island on September 20, 2017. As Tropical Storm Dorian approaches, the state and federal government must effectively coordinate in order to help reduce the potential loss of life and destruction of property. As we witnessed last October with Hurricane Michael, preparation and up-front resources are paramount,” the senators wrote.
“We strongly urge you to consider all of the circumstances referenced in Puerto Rico’s request and approve this pre-landfall emergency declaration that will provide the resources necessary to ensure the safety of the American citizens in Puerto Rico. Thank you for your attention to this important matter,” Rubio and Scott wrote in conclusion.
Trump declared the emergency on Tuesday night.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
