"This is a conservative estimate based on similar efforts that have been done in New York, New Jersey, and of course in Texas most recently," Rossello said at a press conference streamed online from the National Governors Association in Washington.
"Now, I am however confident that we have turned a corner. That we are now flowing out of the life sustainment phase and we are starting the recovery phase, and the rebuilding phase," Rossello said.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Rossello said recovery from the storm, the worst hurricane to hit the U.S. commonwealth in 90 years, exceeded the resources of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund and associated programs.
At the top of priorities is $31.1 billion for housing, followed by $17.8 billion to rebuild and make more resilient the power grid.
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner to the U.S. Congress Jenniffer González-Colón accompanied Rossello and said she introduced legislation to reform the disaster relief law known as the Stafford Act.
The reform would allow disaster recovery money to be used to modernize infrastructure, not just return it to recent condition. Puerto Rico's infrastructure was already weak.
Read more at Puerto Rico Requests $94.4 Billion from U.S. Congress for Rebuilding
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