Latest / 787daily — Puerto Rico Every Morning / Bills Up, Reservoirs Down, and a Little FEMA Relief

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Bills Up, Reservoirs Down, and a Little FEMA Relief · 787daily — Puerto Rico Every Morning

• 0:00
  Welcome to the 787daily week in review.
• 0:03
  I'm Marisol.
• 0:03
  And I'm Diego.
• 0:04
  Marisol, I'll be honest, I looked at this week's list and thought, grab a coffee and maybe check your wallet first.
• 0:11
  Ha, fair warning, because we start with the one hitting everybody's pocketbook.
• 0:14
  The Energy Bureau confirmed that electric bills are going up, and the headline said it starts tomorrow.
• 0:19
  The average residential customer will pay $42 and 27 cents more on their electricity bill.
• 0:24
  $42 and 27 cents more.
• 0:26
  And that's the average, so some households will feel it more, some a little less.
• 0:31
  That's not a rounding error.
• 0:32
  That's groceries, or a chunk of one.
• 0:34
  Right, and it gets heavier when you look at the second story.
• 0:38
  A report says electric bills have hit a record, with a $113 more per month since LUMA took over.
• 0:45
  A $113 more, every month.
• 0:47
  Okay, put that in real terms for me.
• 0:50
  The example they gave was a household using 800 kilowatt-hours, and that bill comes to $270 and 86 cents for the month.
• 0:58
  $270 and 86 cents.
• 1:00
  For a household using 800 kilowatt-hours.
• 1:02
  And I think anybody listening who runs a fan or an air conditioner knows 800 is not some wild luxury number.
• 1:09
  No, and I don't want to go beyond what the reports say, because the takeaway is simple.
• 1:14
  Bills have climbed a lot, and another increase is on the way.
• 1:18
  Which, if you're a family on a tight budget, is not just a number on a page.
• 1:23
  People are going to be sitting at the kitchen table doing math they didn't want to do.
• 1:28
  Exactly.
• 1:28
  And speaking of families doing tough math, our third story is about school cafeterias.
• 1:33
  Suppliers have halted deliveries over unpaid Education Department bills, and the worry is that cafeterias could face food shortages.
• 1:38
  Hold on.
• 1:39
  So the suppliers aren't getting paid, they stop delivering, and the folks at the end of that chain are the schools.
• 1:46
  That's the concern.
• 1:46
  The report says cafeterias may face food supply problems because of those unpaid debts.
• 1:51
  I'd stress the word "could," since it's a warning about what may happen, not a confirmed empty tray.
• 1:56
  Good distinction.
• 1:57
  But still, for a lot of kids a school meal is a big part of the day.
• 2:02
  So this is one of those stories where you hope somebody sorts out the paperwork fast, before it ever reaches a lunch line.
• 2:09
  Completely.
• 2:09
  Nobody wants a kid's meal tangled up in a billing dispute.
• 2:13
  Amen.
• 2:13
  Okay, next one is more about nature, and honestly about patience.
• 2:16
  It is.
• 2:17
  Water rationing begins for several communities in Naranjito, starting October 2, because the Cedro reservoirs are running low.
• 2:23
  So this is a case where the supply is what's low, not a pipe issue or a billing issue.
• 2:28
  The reservoirs themselves are low.
• 2:30
  That's what the report points to.
• 2:32
  The Cedro reservoirs are running low, so rationing started for several Naranjito communities on October 2.
• 2:37
  And if you live there, that means planning your day around water.
• 2:40
  Filling containers, scheduling showers, the whole routine changes.
• 2:43
  I always think about how much we take a running tap for granted until it's not there on demand.
• 2:49
  Very true.
• 2:49
  If you're in Naranjito, I'd say check with your local officials for the specifics of your community's schedule, because we only have the broad outline.
• 2:57
  Smart.
• 2:57
  We don't want to guess at schedules and send somebody off at the wrong hour.
• 3:02
  Right.
• 3:02
  Now, we do get one piece of brighter news to close out the week.
• 3:06
  FEMA has approved over $71 million in additional funding for Puerto Rico disaster recovery.
• 3:11
  Okay, finally, something with a bit of lift to it.
• 3:14
  Over $71 million.
• 3:15
  Over 71 million, and it's described as additional funding for disaster recovery.
• 3:19
  And that matters because recovery is a long road.
• 3:22
  I'd say it's good news, though I'm not going to pretend one approval fixes everything, especially after the week we just walked through.
• 3:29
  Agreed.
• 3:29
  It's a step, and it's worth noting.
• 3:31
  The details of how it gets used are the kind of thing to watch going forward.
• 3:36
  Yes, because approval is one thing, and what people see on the ground is another.
• 3:41
  Well said.
• 3:41
  So, a quick recap.
• 3:43
  Electric bills are rising, with the Energy Bureau confirming an average increase of $42 and 27 cents, and a record-high bill story that shows how heavy things have gotten.
• 3:52
  School cafeterias could face food shortages over unpaid bills.
• 3:54
  Water rationing started in Naranjito.
• 3:56
  And FEMA approved over $71 million for recovery.
• 3:59
  A week of squeezing, honestly.
• 4:00
  Pocketbooks, pantries, reservoirs.
• 4:01
  But also a little relief on the horizon, and I'll take it.
• 4:05
  Take it and hold on to it.
• 4:07
  If you want the full stories, with all the details we couldn't fit in here, head over to 787daily.com.
• 4:14
  Yes, go read them, especially if you're affected by the water rationing or the bill changes.
• 4:19
  Marisol, thanks, as always.
• 4:21
  Thank you, Diego.
• 4:21
  And thank you all for listening.
• 4:23
  Take care of each other this week, and we'll see you next time.
• 4:27
  Hasta la próxima, everybody.