Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said Sunday that her administration is coordinating with federal agencies as the island confronts a deepening water crisis, with more than 180,000 households subject to 48-hour service interruptions and rationing.
González-Colón declared a state of emergency across the U.S. territory on July 31 after severe drought conditions drove reservoir levels sharply lower. On Friday, officials began rolling out rotating 48-hour water shut-offs affecting parts of San Juan, along with areas in Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canóvanas and Loíza.
Speaking at a Sunday news conference, the governor said Puerto Rico had activated an “interagency support plan for municipalities” designed to streamline aid and improve coordination with communities hit by the shortages.
“Mayors have a direct liaison inside the government of Puerto Rico,” González-Colón said. “Each head of agency has the responsibility to maintain communication with that mayor, to understand the needs that arise, to channel urgent situations, to support the distribution of water trucks, and to facilitate coordination with the agencies that need to intervene.”
The island’s Public Housing Administration has started placing community cisterns at various public housing complexes, the governor said. At the same time, drinking water is being delivered directly to residents with assistance from the Fire Department.
González-Colón said Puerto Rican officials are working in close coordination with the federal government as the emergency response expands. “We are combining a climate committee, actually a drought committee, with all the scientific people. The federal government is helping us out as well,” she said during a Saturday press conference.
The governor also pointed to the extreme heat gripping the island. “In the case of Puerto Rico, a few weeks ago was the hottest day in San Juan in 100 years,” González-Colón said Saturday, telling CNN that Puerto Rico was also dealing with nearly 1,000 fires across the island.
The water restrictions follow an exceptionally dry and hot stretch for the capital. July was San Juan’s driest month in more than 120 years of records and its fourth hottest on record. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of Aug. 4 nearly 25% of Puerto Rico was in severe drought, while another 36% was experiencing moderate drought.
“This situation is out of our hands,” Gonzalez-Colon said last week, blaming the severe weather for the shortages. “Nothing prevents this from worsening,” the governor added.
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo Jose Hernandez, meanwhile, last week urged Gonzalez-Colon to seek a federal emergency declaration from President Donald Trump. “Faced with the water crisis, Puerto Rico needs an immediate response,” Hernandez wrote in a post to X.
Amid concern over disruption to the island’s vital tourism and hospitality industry, the government-owned Puerto Rico Tourism Company said in a statement that it was “committed to our tourism industry, providing the necessary support to maintain the continuity of operations in our hostels and guarantee services to their guests.”
“Water distribution continues in areas impacted by the scheduled interruption plan, supporting the continuity of services and the care of our visitors,” it added.
ABC News’ Ayanna Martinez contributed to this report.
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