New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with nonprofits in Puerto Rico on Friday as officials announced a $280,000 partnership aimed at helping the U.S. territory address emergencies.
The collaboration between the Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York comes as Puerto Rico continues to grapple with persistent power outages and intermittent water shortages, challenges exacerbated by recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria and other disasters.
The Hispanic Federation plans to use the funds to equip 10 community-run resiliency hubs across the island. These hubs will receive upgrades such as increased water storage capacity, rain-collection systems, enhanced kitchen infrastructure, and solar power with battery storage.
"Puerto Rico’s families have lived through more disasters than anyone should have to,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is contributing $210,000, with an additional $70,000 raised by the Hispanic Federation, according to officials.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is part of a delegation of New York government officials attending an annual four-day conference in Puerto Rico with Mamdani, stated, “Conversations about climate change and environmental justice are essential to the wellbeing and future of our communities.”
This announcement follows the cancellation of several solar projects in Puerto Rico by the Trump administration. These projects were intended to provide solar and battery storage systems to thousands of low-income families and those with medical needs. The U.S. Department of Energy redirected the funds initially allocated for these projects to maintain Puerto Rico's aging power grid, which was significantly damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and had already suffered from years of underinvestment.
The decision to cancel the solar projects led to significant backlash on the island. Most recently, six Puerto Rico residents filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Energy Department and its secretary, Chris Wright, seeking the reinstatement of a $1 billion federally funded program that would have provided solar power and battery storage to residents most in need.
The lawsuit highlights that the cost of such systems is out of reach for most Puerto Ricans and notes the critical need for reliable electricity for individuals with serious health conditions. One plaintiff, Ileana Ríos, a diabetic resident of Arecibo, relies on electricity to refrigerate her insulin, while her son's asthma requires the use of a nebulizer.
Nonprofits that were involved in the federal solar program faced considerable uncertainty after its termination. Sybelle Rodriguez del Valle, director of operations at the energy resilience nonprofit Barrio Eléctrico, described months of confusion and a lack of clear communication from the previous administration. Barrio Eléctrico, which was set to provide resilient energy to 1,200 families, had completed about a third of its projects before the program ended, resulting in an estimated loss of $16 million to $20 million in funding.