New York City Mayor Eric Adams just announced that two standard-size New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) collection trucks were donated to the municipal governments of Vieques and Yabucoa in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico continues recovery efforts following Hurricane Fiona, which devastated the island in September 2022. The donations followed the mayor's trip to visit the island and survey the needs to the community with a local delegation.

“Though the hurricane and its aftermath may have faded from the headlines, this donation of two sanitation trucks underlines our unwavering commitment to our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters amid their ongoing recovery process," Adams said in a press release.

The donation is being coordinated by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Service (DCAS) in close collaboration with the New York City Office of Emergency Management (NYCEM) and DSNY. The trucks are expected to arrive in Puerto Rico this month.

Island Reeling from Natural Disasters

Puerto Rico has been reeling from the effects of natural disasters since Hurricanes Maria and Irma made landfall in 2017. Last September, Hurricane Fiona brough torrential rainfall to some areas of the island, severely impacting the government’s ability to provide critical services to its residents, DCAS reported. Among those major issues is the inability to effectively collect waste. Puerto Rico’s sanitation trucks have suffered major mechanical failures and the necessity to use alternate routes have impeded its service. With the donation of these two trucks, Puerto Rico will be able to improve its collection service.

The two Mack trucks, manufactured in 2015 and 2016 respectively, will be transported directly from New York City to Puerto Rico and are worth more than $500,000 together.