Household budgets are being squeezed from two directions, with a monthly power bill of $270.86 for 800 kilowatt-hours and another $42.27 coming for the average residential customer. At the same time, drought covers 51 of 78 municipios, so Carraízo’s pause in scheduled interruptions since September 2 is welcome but worth watching.
Government and politics
- FEMA Approves $71 Million for Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery — FEMA has approved over $71 million in additional funding for Puerto Rico.
- Cataño Elects New Mayor Today — Five candidates are running in the special election.
Energy
- Electric Bill Hits Record: $113 More per Month Since LUMA Took Over — $270.86 monthly electricity bill for 800 kilowatt-hours.
- Puerto Rico Electric Bills to Rise Starting Tomorrow, Energy Bureau Confirms — The average residential customer will pay $42.27 more on their electricity bill.
Water
Carraízo fell 0.08 m over the week to 40.60 m on October 2, in AAA’s seguridad band. AAA’s scheduled interruptions for Carraízo customers have been paused since September 2.
The US Drought Monitor map dated September 29 has 51 of 78 municipios in at least moderate drought. Elsewhere on the water map, La Plata fell 0.60 m, Cidra rose 0.01 m and Toa Vaca fell 0.13 m.
- About 4,000 in Naranjito Without Water as Rationing Begins at Cedro System — Around 4,000 people in Naranjito may be affected by the water shortage.
- LNG Ship Amur River to Head to Dominican Republic Before Returning to San Juan Waters — The ship Amur River will depart for the Dominican Republic on Saturday to restock supplies.
| Reservoir | Sep 25 (AAA chart reading at the start of the week, metres above the reservoir's datum) | Oct 2 (AAA chart reading at the end of the week) | Change (Over the week, in metres) | AAA band (AAA's operating band: seguridad, observación, ajustes, control) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carraízo | 40.68 | 40.60 | -0.08 m | seguridad |
| La Plata | 44.56 | 43.96 | -0.60 m | ajustes |
| Cidra | 400.53 | 400.54 | +0.01 m | observación |
| Toa Vaca | 147.11 | 146.98 | -0.13 m | observación |
| Watch (From the daily Water Watch's own reading of the trend) | Why |
|---|---|
| Carraízo | whether the slowdown holds: a second week under 2 cm a day would say the rotation is doing its job. |
| Río Grande, Canóvanas and Loíza | whether AAA says in public that the east-side rationing is over, and posts that the Canóvanas filtration plant is back in operation. |
Economy
- Puerto Rico Mayors’ Association Backs Aguada Municipality in Construction Tax Appeal — The Association of Mayors of Puerto Rico is joining as amicus curiae in a potential appeal of a case regarding construction fees in Aguada.
- Oversight Board Asks FEMA to Clarify Whether Municipalities Can Tax Federally Funded Construction Projects — The JSF has requested clarification from FEMA on construction taxes for federally funded projects.
Safety
- Flood Warning Issued for Several Puerto Rico Municipalities — Arecibo and Hatillo are under a flood warning until 4:00 pm.
- Heat Warning Issued for Puerto Rico — The National Meteorological Service (SNM) in San Juan issued a heat warning for Puerto Rico, effective from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Monday.
Health and schools
- US Health Secretary Visits Puerto Rico to Inaugurate New Hospital in Vieques — The new Hospital Susana Centeno in Vieques was inaugurated with a total investment of $85.5 million.
- Nearly Half of Puerto Rico’s Dengue Cases Ended in Hospitalization — 49.5% of dengue cases in Puerto Rico required hospitalization.
Roads and travel
- Oversight Board Clears $114 Million for Road Repaving in 40 Municipalities
- Highway Authority Announces AutoExpreso Fines Will Resume October 19 — AutoExpreso fines will be reactivated on October 19.
Around the island
- Daycare License Suspended After Baby’s Death in Bayamón — The Department of Family suspended the license of ‘Pasemisin Kids’ daycare center due to non-compliances related to supervision and personnel.
- Hundreds Form Human Chain to Oppose Parking Megaproject at El Escambrón — The proposed parking garage would lease land to a private company for 60 years.
The live picture is on the water page, the power tracker and the legislature tracker. This is the 5th Week in Puerto Rico (last week’s is here).
Sources: the reporting linked above, AAA’s reservoir chart and rationing notices, and the US Drought Monitor. Reservoir levels are AAA’s chart readings, and the drought map is a weekly expert synthesis of indicators, not a rainfall total.