May 24, 2018

Mayor Bhalla to Participate in Mayor Exchange Program

Hoboken, NJ - Thursday, May 24th, 2018

Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla will travel to Villalba, Puerto Rico on Thursday and Friday to meet with Mayor Luis Javier “Javi” Hernández Ortiz to discuss hurricane recovery efforts and issues still facing both cities.

“We here in Hoboken know what it’s like to suffer a devastating storm,” said Bhalla. “It’s been almost six years since Hurricane Sandy, and we’ve learned a lot in that time. I hope our visit will help the people of Villalba on their long journey towards recovery.”

At a later date, Mayor Hernández Ortiz will come to Hoboken to learn how local storm recovery efforts, such as Rebuild By Design, may be applied in Villalba.

“My trip there will help me understand what they went through and how it relates to what we went through after Sandy,” said Bhalla. “When Mayor Hernández Ortiz comes to Hoboken, he will get to see how we’re addressing the impact of flooding. At the same time, there’s a lot we can learn from them about potential future issues, including what did and didn’t work for them.”

The educational trips are financed by the Open Society Foundation and come at no cost to taxpayers.