Latest / 787daily — Puerto Rico Every Morning / Power Bills, Toll Fines, and a Big FEMA Check

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Power Bills, Toll Fines, and a Big FEMA Check · 787daily — Puerto Rico Every Morning

• 0:00
  Welcome to The Week in Puerto Rico, from 787daily.
• 0:03
  I'm Marisol.
• 0:04
  And I'm Diego.
• 0:05
  We've got a full week, and we're starting where we always seem to start, with the light bill.
• 0:10
  Of course we are.
• 0:12
  So, LUMA reported a 54.4 million dollar fuel deficit for September.
• 0:16
  They filed that with the Energy Bureau.
• 0:18
  Okay, break that down for me.
• 0:20
  54 million short of what, exactly?
• 0:22
  Fuel cost $223 million in September.
• 0:25
  But the FCA only generated 168.7 million.
• 0:28
  So there's a gap between what it cost to buy the fuel and what came in to cover it.
• 0:34
  And that gap doesn't just vanish.
• 0:36
  No, and that's why the story says another power bill increase is on the table.
• 0:41
  It's not confirmed, but it's very much in play.
• 0:43
  Which is a tough thing to hear.
• 0:46
  Families already watch that bill like a hawk.
• 0:48
  Every number on it matters.
• 0:50
  Right.
• 0:50
  And this ties straight into our next story.
• 0:53
  Governor Jenniffer González came out this week saying LUMA was hired to solve problems, not to manage excuses.
• 0:58
  That's a pointed line.
• 0:59
  Is it just words, or did she actually do something?
• 1:03
  She did give direction.
• 1:04
  She ordered her team, including Suzanne Roig and Josué Colón, to urgently evaluate legal and financial options to cut electricity costs for families.
• 1:11
  So the word that matters there is "urgently."
• 1:14
  Exactly.
• 1:14
  And to be clear, this is an evaluation of options.
• 1:17
  We don't have a specific outcome yet.
• 1:19
  But the message is clear: the government wants to find a way to bring costs down.
• 1:24
  And the timing is hard to ignore.
• 1:26
  A fuel deficit report lands, a possible increase looms, and the governor's team gets told to get moving.
• 1:32
  It does line up.
• 1:33
  We'll keep following it, because the next step is what those options actually look like.
• 1:38
  Alright, let's shift gears to something that might hit your wallet in a different way.
• 1:43
  Tolls.
• 1:43
  Yes.
• 1:43
  AutoExpreso fines are back.
• 1:45
  The Highway and Transportation Authority, under the Transportation and Public Works Department, started collecting them again on Monday, after a pause that lasted multiple years.
• 1:53
  Multiple years.
• 1:53
  I think a lot of people got comfortable.
• 1:56
  They did.
• 1:56
  The fines are $15 each, and collection resumed on Monday.
• 2:00
  So if you've had a toll situation hanging around in the back of your mind, this is your friendly reminder.
• 2:06
  A very friendly, slightly stressful reminder.
• 2:08
  Ha.
• 2:08
  Check your account, folks.
• 2:10
  Better to look than to be surprised.
• 2:12
  Now a more serious one.
• 2:13
  Hospital Auxilio Mutuo reached an agreement tied to the cyberattack from September of 2023.
• 2:18
  That one affected a lot of people, right?
• 2:21
  About 41,000 patients.
• 2:22
  Under the agreement, the hospital must fund up to 500,$000 for those affected patients.
• 2:27
  Up to 500,000.
• 2:29
  So that's a ceiling, not a guaranteed amount per person.
• 2:32
  Right, it's a fund with a cap.
• 2:34
  And on top of that, the hospital is committing more than $1.1 million to cybersecurity infrastructure.
• 2:40
  That second part matters to me.
• 2:42
  A fund helps people who were affected, but the investment is about making sure it doesn't happen again.
• 2:48
  And think about what's at stake.
• 2:49
  Medical information is deeply personal.
• 2:51
  For those 41,000 patients, this wasn't an abstract tech problem.
• 2:54
  It was their private information.
• 2:56
  Absolutely.
• 2:56
  It's a good reminder that these breaches have real people on the other end, and that it can take years before there's any resolution.
• 3:04
  Three years, in this case.
• 3:05
  Since September of 2023.
• 3:07
  Okay, let's end on some good news, because we've earned it.
• 3:10
  FEMA.
• 3:11
  Yes.
• 3:11
  FEMA approved nearly $82 million for recovery and mitigation projects in Puerto Rico.
• 3:15
  82 million.
• 3:16
  Where's it going?
• 3:17
  A big piece, nearly $30 million, goes to the Public Housing Administration.
• 3:21
  That's for permanent repairs at 10 public housing complexes damaged by Hurricane María.
• 3:25
  Permanent repairs.
• 3:26
  That phrase lands, because Maria was years ago, and for families in those complexes, that's a long time to wait for a fix that lasts.
• 3:34
  It really is.
• 3:35
  These are people's homes.
• 3:36
  Having permanent repairs funded is a meaningful step.
• 3:38
  And it's a nice counterweight to the rest of the week.
• 3:42
  We had the power cost worries, but here's money actually getting approved for rebuilding.
• 3:46
  A little relief in the mix.
• 3:48
  Though the details of how and when the work happens will matter.
• 3:52
  Always.
• 3:52
  Approval is one thing, and seeing the work finished is another.
• 3:56
  Well said.
• 3:56
  So, quick recap.
• 3:57
  LUMA's fuel deficit of $54.4 million puts another bill hike on the table, and the governor wants urgent options to cut costs.
• 4:05
  AutoExpreso fines of $15 are being collected again as of Monday.
• 4:09
  Auxilio Mutuo agreed to a fund of up to 500,$000 for about 41,000 patients after the 2023 cyberattack.
• 4:16
  And FEMA approved nearly $82 million, with almost 30 million for repairs at 10 public housing complexes.
• 4:22
  For the full stories on all of these, head to 787daily.com.
• 4:27
  Thanks for spending part of your week with us.
• 4:30
  Take care of each other, and check that toll account.
• 4:33
  Until next time, from all of us at 787daily.