Boricua Nutmeggers want to help their loved ones back on the island. That’s the core message members of the Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission want to get across to Gov. Ned Lamont.
In a letter sent Wednesday, commission members ask the governor for a meeting to discuss the escalating water crisis in Puerto Rico and how Connecticut can help. Ongoing disinvestment in the water system means thousands near San Juan are now forced to pay for water, and haul buckets up flights of stairs to wash dishes or bathe, according to the Associated Press.
Lamont, whose white American mother was born on the island, has expressed deep affinity with Puerto Rico and the many Puerto Ricans who live in the state he now governs. Connecticut has the largest proportion of Boricuas in any U.S. state, at 8%.
“Given the deep cultural, economic, and familial ties between Connecticut and Puerto Rico, as well as the significant Puerto Rican population that calls Connecticut home, this issue is being felt directly in communities across our state,” the letter states.
Some communities in the state boast populations that are more than 20% Puerto Rican. That includes Bridgeport, which Rep. Christopher Rosario represents. Already, he said he’s been fielding phone calls from Nutmeggers concerned about upcoming travel to the San Juan area. He has also been considering the possibility that evacuees will want to leave the island, like thousands did in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
“Similar to what happened with the hurricanes, they're not going to want to live in that situation,” Rosario said of San Juan area residents. “They're probably going to fly up here to Connecticut and be here with friends and family until the situation gets resolved.”
“So, this is not something that's just happening ‘allá afuera,’ as they say, but this has a deep impact on what's happening here in Connecticut as well.”
An escalating crisis
As outlets like NPR have reported, the island’s aging aqueduct system has been experiencing ruptures and leaks for months. Finally, a crack in a major pipe last week took running water access from a shortage to a stoppage.
The commission members say 120,000 residents in the San Juan metropolitan area are being impacted by the disrupted service. In response, Puerto Rico’s governor has activated the National Guard, which has been distributing drinking water.
Rosario said Connecticut historically waits for an official request from another National Guard.
“If we can get a team of engineers — from our water folks and folks from the National Guard — and kind of assess the situation and apply their expertise, I think that's a win-win,” he said.
The trade commission’s letter asks that the meeting with Lamont focus on four topics:
- Identifying immediate areas where Connecticut expertise may be most effectively applied
- Clarifying coordination pathways with Puerto Rico and federal partners
- Assessing appropriate mechanisms for technical, logistical, and financial assistance
- Ensuring any response remains coordinated, fiscally responsible, and consistent with intergovernmental protocols
“We experience water issues here in the state of Connecticut. Most recently, this past winter, when we had the Waterbury pipe issue, the water folks and the public works were able to manage that and handle that, and this seems to be a similar situation,” Rosario said. “We can provide that expertise from our local water companies to provide that engineering, as well as our National Guard.”
Gov. Lamont had not yet responded to the trade commission’s meeting request at the time of publication. Still, Rosario, as co-chair of the commission, was encouraged.
“This is kind of like our first test of what this was intended to do,” Rosario said. “Basically, this was what the trade commission was created for — to handle moments like this — and we all communicated, got in touch and decided to take action.”
