Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney returned from a recent trip to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico and said he’s ready to welcome Puerto Ricans seeking safety in New York.

Maloney visited the island as part of a congressional delegation. He says despite improvements, Puerto Rico is still dealing with a power and water crisis.

"That means the economy is dead in the water. Puerto Rico has three big industries: Tourism, agriculture and pharmaceuticals,” he says.

The Democrat says Congress is readying a plan that would give $18 billion to the island. About $4.9 billion will go toward low-interest treasury loans for the struggling government.

Nearly 6 percent of Maloney’s constituents are of Puerto Rican descent, but that's not why he says it's important to help during this devastating time.

"Those of us who lived through Superstorm Sandy know what it was like to wait for Congress to act. We know after 9/11 how people jumped in to help and how good that felt,” he says.