Puerto Rico governor presses US emergency agency to provide aid for 17 flooded communities

Puerto Rico requests FEMA aid for 17 flooded areas

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor has declared a state of emergency for 17 flooded communities in the U.S. territory as he presses the federal government to contribute aid.

Gov. Luis Fortuno says the Federal Emergency Management Agency notified him Sunday that it will review his request for aid in low-lying areas hit by days of heavy rains that flooded dozens of homes and damaged roadways.

The cash-strapped Puerto Rican government is helping repair infrastructure with its own emergency aid while officials await a federal determination.

A weather system that later turned into Tropical Storm Bonnie caused widespread flooding last week in eastern Puerto Rico. A 14-year-old boy drowned in one swollen river.