The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with federal, commonwealth, and local partners as they begin responding to Hurricane Fiona. EPA will work along with other federal agencies under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as it coordinates the federal response with the government of Puerto Rico. EPA has initially been tasked by FEMA with helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. 

“We stand with the resilient people of Puerto Rico as they begin to recover from Hurricane Fiona’s devastation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “We are working with other federal agencies to help ensure recovery is swift and will mobilize more resources as needed in the coming weeks. Making Hurricane Fiona’s blow to Puerto Rico more poignant is that it came at the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which had catastrophic impacts that the people of Puerto Rico are still working to recover from even today. Five years after Hurricane Maria made landfall, EPA’s work in the Caribbean continues and is focused on long-term recovery, including solid waste management, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure issues. We will work to couple those ongoing efforts as we respond to the impacts from Hurricane Fiona.”

EPA has important resources available online in English and Spanish about floodwaters, mold, hazardous debris, household hazardous waste, and other hurricane impacts. EPA's central hub for disaster and hurricane information is available at EPA Hurricanes and EPA Huracanes.

EPA’s Hurricane Fiona web page can be found here.  EPA will update that site as it continues its response.

Click here to read the full press release on the EPA website.