NEW YORK (PIX11) — Mayor Eric Adams is set to meet Monday with officials in the Dominican Republic to support recovery efforts from Hurricane Fiona.
He will start his day meeting with senators from the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, then travel to other cities to meet with local leaders and distribute resources to the communities.
The mayor arrived in Puerto Rico on Sunday. He pledged to help those impacted by the storm and spent much of the day meeting with local politicians and surveying the damage.
“We don’t say it lightly that Puerto Rico is the sixth borough of New York City,” said Adams. “We mean it. And we’re going to continue to be committed to this.”
The mayor added, “We sent a team earlier, immediately after the storm ended. Now this is the next wave and we’re going to continue to speak directly to the officials here and be a partner.”
On Sunday, the mayor met with Puerto Rico’s governor, the secretary of state, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the president of the Dominican Republic, and the mayor of San Juan. All of those meetings were closed to the press.
PIX11 News spoke to people back in New York about the mayor’s trip.
Saul Ramirez in Harlem said, “It’s a wise decision for him to go over there especially if there’s a bunch of politicians talking about a bunch of topics and all that.”
Domingo Rodriguez, who has family in Puerto Rico, said, “I think it’s a publicity stunt. I mean, there’s nothing he can really do physically.”
Stephanie Rodriguez has relatives in San Juan. She said, “I feel like he could’ve sent resources over there instead of being over there.”
The mayor is set to return to New York Monday afternoon.
Later in the day, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will call for billions in federal relief funds for Puerto Rico, as well as aid for the Dominican Republic.
As for Governor Kathy Hochul, she has deployed 50 state troopers to Puerto Rico and plans to send more.
New Jersey State Police has also deployed a team to the island.