Puerto Rico says its ready to confront hurricane season ‘in a more effective manner’

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Roselló vowed on Thursday to respond to future hurricanes “in a more effective manner,” as the U.S. territory continues to recover from two storms that devastated the island last year.

In a news conference, Roselló said that Puerto Rico’s government had updated its protocols for responding to hurricanes, according to BuzzFeed News. He also announced a partnership between the island’s tourism corporation and AirBnB. 

“It’s important that the public knows that the government is prepared and that we have updated these protocols that we’ve been working on, and with FEMA, to be able to increase our capacity to face the next hurricane,” he said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “We are ready to respond in a more effective manner.”

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The Puerto Rican government has stocked four warehouses across the island with emergency supplies, including food and water, BuzzFeed reported. The government is still searching for facilities to store such supplies in more remote areas of the territory. 

“Maria taught us a lot,” Carlos Acevedo, the head of Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency, said, according to BuzzFeed. “Before Maria, we did not have any supply warehouses. We just had FEMA supplies. But for this coming hurricane season we will have four different points of distribution.”

At the same time, emergency management agency heads will also be accredited by FEMA’s emergency response training, according to BuzzFeed. 

Hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged Puerto Rico last year, leaving most of the island without electricity or clean water. Still, more than 20,000 households don’t have electricity, and many homes and businesses have not yet been completely repaired. 

The 2018 hurricane season begins in June.