A toolkit to help Puerto Rico recover from multiple natural disasters can help provide education infrastructure that children in the territory deserve, a Federal Emergency Management Agency official said.
The "Inter-agency Technical Assistance Toolkit for School Infrastructure in Puerto Rico" was issued last month by FEMA (an arm of the Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of Education. The toolkit outlines federal resources available to help Puerto Rico recover and rebuild safe, healthy, and modernized school facilities, according to a Jan. 21 news release issued with the toolkit.
The departments of Energy and Labor and the Environmental Protection Agency also collaborated on the 16-page toolkit.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas during a hearing in Washington last September
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"All children deserve to have the opportunity to learn and thrive in safe and functioning educational facilities," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in the news release. "FEMA is proud to continue supporting Puerto Rico through this important phase of work."
The toolkit is important during the current phase of Puerto Rico's ongoing recovery, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in the news release.
"As Puerto Rico continues to rebuild, recover, and reimagine a future of security and prosperity for all of its families, DHS will be there every step of the way," Mayorkas said. "I encourage officials to use the resources available to them through the federal government to build safe and resilient schools for teachers and students."
The toolkit outlines the federal resources available for Puerto Ricans to aid recovery and rebuilding of safe, healthy, and modernized school facilities, according to the news release. Four key recovery aspects mentioned in the toolkit are planning and design, workforce readiness, contracting and procurement, and project review.
The toolkit also includes a directory with technical assistance opportunities and information about other funding sources from federal agencies.
"The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting a full recovery in Puerto Rico grounded in dignity, equity, and respect," the toolkit's introduction says. "That is why the White House convened a Working Group on Puerto Rico [last summer] to provide Puerto Rico the resources and technical assistance it needs to recover and prosper."
The toolkit's introduction refers to education as "a critical component of full recovery" and says access to safe, healthy and up-to-date school facilities "is a first step in providing all students in Puerto Rico with the high-quality education they deserve."
"School infrastructure in Puerto Rico is at a turning point," the toolkit's introduction continues. "After multiple natural disasters, Puerto Rico has access to extensive recovery resources, including more than $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance for school infrastructure related to recovery."
