President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Puerto Rico

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to supplement the Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Maria from September 17, 2017, and continuing.

Hurricane Maria churns through Caribbean as ravaged Puerto Rico takes stock of an a island destroyeda

After mauling Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria delivered a weaker but still punishing blow Thursday to the Dominican Republic with winds near 115 mph and driving rains as the storm carved an arc of misery through the Caribbean. Maria - now a Category 3 hurricane - was expected to gather some fresh strength over open water before taking aim at the Turks and Caicos Islands, which were battered earlier this month by Hurricane Irma on its deadly path toward Florida.

Maria destroys homes, triggers flooding in Puerto Rico

Citizens rest while waiting at Humacao Arena refugee center for the imminent impact of Maria, a Category 5 hurricane that threatens to hit the eastern region of the island with sustained winds of 175 miles per hour, in Humacao... . A woman and a child rest on cots while waiting at Humacao Arena refugee center for the imminent impact of Maria, a Category 5 hurricane that threatens to hit the eastern region of the island with sustained winds of 175 miles p... .

PHOTOS: Hurricane Irma’s destruction in the Caribbean

SEPTEMBER 06: Debris is seen during a storm surge near the Puerto Chico Harbor during the passing of Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The category 5 storm is expected to pass over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today, and make landfall in Florida by the weekend.

Irma eyes Southeast as it lashes Caribbean

SEPTEMBER 06: Alexis Ramos looks out to sea at Luquillo Beach prior to the passing of Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The category 5 storm is expected to pass over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today, and make landfall in Florida by the weekend.

Puerto Rico nationalist unexpectedly returns after term cut

Supporters hold up a sign during a press conference to welcome home Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Rivera on the day he returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. Rivera unexpectedly returned to the island on Thursday to serve the remainder of a sentence commuted by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama, according to the San Juan mayor's office.

Puerto Ricans flocking to mainland could sway swing states

Residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in presidential elections. But with the island's economy in shambles, many are fleeing to the U.S. mainland, potentially shifting demographic norms in some of the most closely contested states.

Puerto Rico towns to share services, cut costs amid crisis

In this July 15, 2016 file photo, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla listens to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley speak during the National Governors Association meeting, in Des Moines, Iowa. Garcia Padilla signed a bill late Friday, July 29, 2016, letting the island's 78 municipal governments share administrative services as a cost-saving measure amid a deep fiscal crisis.

Funding threatens future of giant telescope in Puerto Rico

The world's largest single-dish radio telescope is nestled deep in the lush green hills of Puerto Rico, where it performs tasks like searching for gravitational waves, listening for extraterrestrial signals and tracking asteroids that might be on a collision course with Earth. But the outlook is increasingly faint for the Arecibo Observatory, which features a 1,000-foot-wide dish used in research involving stars that led to a Nobel Prize.

House passes Puerto Rico debt relief bill with $1.9 billion payment looming

A worker takes off U.S and Puerto Rican flag after rally of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 16, 2016. Following months of internal wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives, on Thursday passed legislation creating a federal control board to help Puerto Rico cope with crippling debt that is wreaking havoc throughout the island's economy.

Clinton takes early edge in Puerto Rico Democratic primary

Puerto Rico resident Hector Alvarez casts his ballot during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016. Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination.