MONEY Where the aid went — in plain words

So it makes sense

First the money words. Then what each acronym is. Without that, the numbers don’t say much.

Obligated / promised

Money already committed on paper to a project. It can still be waiting to move.

Disbursed / already out

Cash that actually left the federal or island account. Closer to “it arrived.”

Awarded / allotted

Grant ceiling or award — the available cap. Not the same as spent on the ground.

Why we don’t just add it all up

Each fund comes from a report with its own date. Mixing them invents a “total” nobody measured. That is why the careful total counts only awards, once, and explains what it excludes.

Undrawn ≠ stolen

Slow money is not proof of a crime. Theft or fraud only when there’s an indictment or sentence.

COR3

Puerto Rico’s recovery office that manages a big share of post-María reconstruction funds.

FEMA

The U.S. federal emergency agency — it sends a lot of the disaster aid.

HUD

The U.S. housing agency. Here it mostly means CDBG funds for housing and mitigation.

GAO

U.S. Congress auditors. Their reports tell us how much was promised and how much already left.

DOE

The U.S. Energy Department — grid, solar, and resilience funds.