Puerto Rico Morning Brief Thursday, October 8, 2026

The first count of homeless youth carried out by the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration (ASSMCA) identified 204 young people aged 18 to 24 who are homeless or in unstable housing in Puerto Rico, WAPA reported.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced on Wednesday, October 7, that she signed an executive order creating the Puerto Rico Earthquake Preparedness Committee. The body will coordinate government efforts to prepare for and respond to seismic events. Under Executive Order 2026-053, it will be attached to the Department of Public Security and chaired by the department’s secretary, Arthur Garffer. According to La Fortaleza, the committee will bring scientific and technical knowledge into government planning. It will also promote coordination with municipalities, the federal government, academia, professional associations, the private sector and community organizations.

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has accepted the Puerto Rico Industrialists Association into the case between the government and LUMA Energy, in which the possible nullity of LUMA’s contract is being debated. The association has no legal connection to the case and enters to inform the court on a point of the controversy. It defends the legal certainty and validity of the extension of LUMA’s contract.

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz said on Wednesday, October 7, that Family Secretary Suzanne Roig lied and gave testimony with multiple inconsistencies over the $38 million NOLA education deal. He made the remarks after questioning her intensely in a public hearing before the Senate Committee on Family, Women, Senior Citizens and Population with Functional Diversity and Disabilities. Roig began testifying at 1:00 PM. She was given until October 15 to submit the complete file on the contract award.

Workers of the University of Puerto Rico grouped under the Hermandad de Empleados Exentos no Docentes (Heend) gathered Wednesday, October 7, at the gates and parking lots of the university’s 11 campuses. They demanded that the collective bargaining agreement be honored. Heend members approved a strike vote at an assembly in late September. Carlos de León, a former Heend president and delegate at the Medical Sciences campus, said the union has an approved strike vote and is beginning concerted actions.

On a typical morning in the week ending October 4, about 13,795 of LUMA’s roughly 1.47 million customers, or 0.94%, were without service at 6:00 AM. That is the middle reading of five mornings, from September 28 to October 4.