ORLANDO, Fla. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency Puerto Rican Joint Recovery Office is starting a new radio show Saturday to inform Puerto Ricans living on the island about the recovery process post-Hurricane Maria.
- FEMA Puerto Rican Joint Recovery Office launches radio show
- Dando Palique will address concerns among Puerto Ricans
- The show debuts on May 25 and airs every Saturday morning
The new show, "Dando Palique," will address many concerns Puerto Ricans have. The show airs on MIX 107.7 FM in Puerto Rico.
Many in Puerto Rico relied on the radio to learn what was happening around them during and after the natural disaster devastated the island.
“We have a lot of valleys and a lot of mountains in the middle, so not everyone is able to reach TV stations or get all the TV stations,” said Juan Andres Munoz Torres, Director of External Affairs for FEMA in Puerto Rico. “If we try to reach people with radio, we’ll be able to reach more people on the entire island than if we tried with television.”
It’s a tool Kenelma Figueroa Ramos used after Hurricane Maria devastated her home in Maunabo, a city not far from where the natural disaster hit.
“Without my radio it would have been even more difficult to get through a moment so devastating,” Ramos said.
Ramos and her family gathered around the family radio to find out which roads are closed, schools open, and what areas to avoid. She said all she needed was a pair of batteries to last when her power went out.
Ramos said her parents, who are still rebuilding, use the radio and not television or social media to get their news.
“We’ll talk about what funding are available, what funding has been awarded for what project,” Torres said.
He also said the radio show will tell listeners about disaster management as hurricane season begins.
Anyone in Central Florida who wants to tune in can listen to the show online at the radio station’s website.
The show debuts on May 25 and airs every Saturday morning at 9 a.m.