“Thousands” of Puerto Ricans are expected to flee their storm-stricken island for New York City, Mayor de Blasio said Monday.
“There’s no way yet to know what that number may be. But I think it’s absolutely right to assume that there will be a substantial number of Puerto Rican families coming here because they have family ties here and places hopefully they can stay,” he said.
“We can’t project yet. I would be surprised if that was less than the thousands,” he said.
De Blasio said the city’s schools are “ready to receive any children who come” and Big Apple hospitals will assist Puerto Ricans in need of medical treatment.
Puerto Rico’s governor agreed that there could very well be a great deal of people fleeing the island for the States.
Without immediate help from the US government to rebuild the island, “there will be a mass exodus to the United States,’’ said Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.
The island was already in the midst of a crippling financial crisis that was prompting Puerto Ricans to migrate to the US mainland in droves before Hurricane Maria hit. Roughly 400,000 residents have left the US territory since 2004.
Over the weekend, a team of first responders from the Big Apple traveled to Puerto Rico to help out with recovery efforts.
“Everyone’s horrified,” de Blasio said. “It’s widespread destruction and dislocation. Thank God at this point, the loss of life has not been much worse. But there’s still a lot of places that have not been gotten to yet, so we fear something worse.
“But I think it’s the sheer breadth and magnitude of this that’s so shocking.”