Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don’t see help, or a way out

[Mileage Psycho]

Perhaps airdrops of basic supplies is needed.

Quote

 

Trapped in the mountains, Puerto Ricans don’t see help, or a way out

UTUADO, PUERTO RICO — The day Hurricane Maria swiped through these mountains, the loose, wet dirt started to tumble and roll. It broke through the gate and through the door. It moved with ferocity and determination. It covered and filled everything.

“It looked like chocolate,” said Ferdinand Ramos, a 63-year-old retired police officer whose home was directly in the path of massive landslides. The viscous mud crashed into his living room and kitchen, leaving a shin-high sludge.

Then, for almost nine days, Ramos and Norma Jimenez and members of their extended family were trapped on their property. No one came to help. Their home on the remote outskirts of this town 60 miles southwest of San Juan became a prison.

Even after they cleaned up inside, they had no way to leave — the mud, broken trees and chunks of debris had piled up outside. On Thursday — eight days after Maria had passed — a municipal utility worker cleared their street.

The family had almost run out of drinking water. Their isolated community of Caonillas had received no aid from the local or federal government, residents said. And they had no way to make the perilous trek to town; the winding roads had been obliterated and six of the family’s cars had been stored in a garage that collapsed, crushing five of the vehicles and sending a sixth sliding down the mountainside and into a river.

So their daughter decided to try hitchhiking to town, desperate for bottled water for her month-old premature baby, Diana. As Jimenez, 62, waited for her daughter to return, she rocked six-pound Diana in her arms, kissing the infant’s forehead.

“She left this morning and still hasn’t come back,” Jimenez said.

An unknown number of families are still trapped in this part of Utuado, much of which is inaccessible nearly two weeks after the storm. From the air it is clear why: Mountaintop houses are surrounded by landslides, shredded structures are scattered down mountain slopes, and residents in some areas could be seen waving frantically for help as a helicopter passed.

Some of the homes are so remote and in such rugged terrain that getting to them requires extraordinary effort by helicopter or all-terrain vehicle. Pilots can’t land in many nearby spots, making it unclear how authorities will reach people before the road infrastructure is repaired, which could take months. Residents are cut off from civilization, in some places at least a four-hour walk to the nearest store.

If aid and essential resources have been slow to reach Puerto Rico as a whole, getting help to isolated communities such as Utuado has been taking even longer. In these rural neighborhoods, tucked between mountain ranges and nestled along murky river beds, there is no telecommunication. Some residents recounted coming across Federal Emergency Management Agency officials, none carrying aid — only search-and-rescue teams seeking assessments.

These are the U.S. citizens for whom the mayor of San Juan has been crying, the people who say they have been forgotten and betrayed by their government in Washington. President Trump has been declaring the federal government’s role in Puerto Rico a success, but the people here see things very differently as they struggle to survive.

“In the towns I represent, there are people who have no water,” said an emotional Sen. Nelson Cruz Santiago, who represents the island’s southern region. “In Utuado, there is an area where the bridge was washed out and people are screaming from the other side for help. We can hear them, we can see them, but we can’t help them.”

At least three people died in mudslides in Utuado after Maria hit on Sept. 20. Many residents of the Caonillas neighborhood worry that if it rains again, the mountains and roads could buckle even more and come after them again.

Hector Ruiz, a utility worker hired by the Utuado municipality to clear its roads, is often the first outsider to encounter stranded families. With a large excavator on Friday, he cut through a mountain that had fallen over Highway 140.

He estimated that it will take at least one more month to make the entire highway in Utuado accessible. Ruiz said he came across a community of about 50 homes surrounded by a broken road on one side and a lake on the other.

“They can’t get out either way,” he said.

Ana Rosa Cruz escaped from one of those isolated communities on Friday and was walking through Caonillas with her nephew. She emerged from a road covered with tall mounds of broken trees and mud. She was out of breath and exasperated, her shins covered in scratches and gashes from the trek.

Cruz, 58, had walked for about two hours just to reach an accessible road. She was carrying empty gasoline containers and had about an hour to go to reach her destination. Since the storm, Cruz had been staying at her mother’s home, which had been cut off by landslides. About nine families live there, but dozens more live even farther into the area, she said, miles away from anything.

Her mother, who has circulation problems, only had enough fuel to use her generator for two more days. She and her neighbors are forced to drink “water from the mountain or from the sky,” she said.

“If she gets sick, we can’t get her out,” Cruz said of her mother, noting that she has seen helicopters but none of them have stopped. “We just wave goodbye, because there’s nothing else we can do.”

For Lisandra Torres, 43, who lives down the road from Jimenez and Ramos, her family’s sedan is too low to the ground to make it up the muddy, rugged route — only a four-wheel-drive SUV would even have a chance. Torres walked for three hours to get to the center of Utuado on Thursday, seeking food and water. Her extended family is almost out of cash, so Torres tried to pick up their benefit checks from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — known as WIC — to purchase food and diapers for her grandchildren. But the WIC offices in their town were closed.

“If my babies get sick, I need to buy medication,” said her daughter, Lizbeth Coraliza, 24.

A relative tried driving her sister, Angelica Coraliza, 26, to a minimart Friday in a different sedan. That car got stuck four times because of mud and road damage, and other drivers had to help. When they finally made it to the store, they found that it was sold out of water.

The Coralizas, like many other families in the Utuado area, can reach mountain springs. The cloudy water works for bathing and cleaning, but many said they wouldn’t risk drinking it and definitely wouldn’t give it to infants.

Jimenez’s daughter might not have a choice.

The young mother has been struggling to breast-feed her newborn, probably because she is stressed and not getting enough to eat, Jimenez said. If they can’t find bottled water, the family will have to start boiling water from the mountain to add to the baby’s formula.

And the shortage of food is increasingly grim. Fuljencio Guzman and his 12-year-old son, Kelvin, lost their home, its wooden structure devastated. They are staying next door at Guzman’s mother’s house.

A pantry showed the family’s only remaining nourishment: one can of beans, a few cans of tomatoes, saltine crackers and a few potatoes.

Even if they could reach the nearest grocery store, they have no cash to buy food, and no banks or cash machines in town are functioning. The Guzmans are limiting themselves to one meal a day, the father said. About 1 p.m. Friday, Kelvin ate some Chef Boyardee and rice — probably his only meal until Saturday.

Another resident, Migdalia Guzman, said she thinks the U.S. government doesn’t realize there are communities up here, away from the cities and the television cameras.

“I think they think no one is here,” Migdalia Guzman said. “But there are a lot of people here.”

The storm loosened massive boulders in the mountain slope directly above Migdalia Guzman’s home, where she lives with her children. She worries that additional rain could cause another catastrophe.

“We would all die,” she said.

When she saw a local government official around town on Thursday, she was told that she should move to a different home because of the risk.

“We don’t know where to go,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, thunder clapped and dark clouds started rolling in over the mountains. It began to rain.

Hernandez reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trapped-in-the-mountains-puerto-ricans-don’t-see-help-or-a-way-out/ar-AAsKPGY#image=AAsKPGY_1|5

 

 

[Mainecat]

The bigger problems lie ahead. Sanitation leads to more sickness and lack of power causes any perishable to rot. The loss of vegetation could lead to it being a desert island.

[Woodtick]

Saw on the news last night,SAR teams from all over the US are heading in to those remote areas. There are more than 25 10 man teams in these areas, No CNN reporting of this. 

[Jimmy Snacks]

EZ Glider says just hop on the enduro and head to the cabin.

[Snoslinger]

kneel says the mayor of san juan should get out of the local t-shirt shop and drive these supplies around herself

 

[Snoslinger]

2 minutes ago, Biggie Smails said:

EZ Glider says just hop on the enduro and head to the cabin.

 

[Mileage Psycho]

2 hours ago, Woodtick said:

Saw on the news last night,SAR teams from all over the US are heading in to those remote areas. There are more than 25 10 man teams in these areas, No CNN reporting of this. 

 

Actually they have, and in the article above the people in the mountains talk about seeing SAR folks, what they need is potable water.

 

Quote

 

Search and rescue

FEMA said its search-and-rescue teams had saved or assisted 843 people in Puerto Rico as of Thursday morning. The US Coast Guard saved or assisted 15 people, according to FEMA.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/us/puerto-rico-updates/index.html

 

 

Quote

 

Administration update

FEMA said in a news release Saturday that urban search-and-rescue teams, working alongside local law enforcement, have scoured the island and rescued 843 people. In addition, 11 highways have been cleared, 70% of ports and 60% of gas stations are operating, and half of the grocery and big box stores are open, the release said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/30/politics/trump-tweets-puerto-rico-mayor/index.html

 

 

[Snoslinger]

he'd actually ought to check cnn before making such a statement.....

[Highmark]

Don't rely on govt to take care of you.   

2 hours ago, Mainecat said:

The bigger problems lie ahead. Sanitation leads to more sickness and lack of power causes any perishable to rot. The loss of vegetation could lead to it being a desert island.

Come on MC these islands have been hit by hurricanes forever.   They always come back.   The islands vegetation wasn't flattened by any stretch of the imagination.  

[Woodtick]

7 minutes ago, Highmark said:

Don't rely on govt to take care of you.   

Come on MC these islands have been hit by hurricanes forever.   They always come back.   The islands vegetation wasn't flattened by any stretch of the imagination.  

Trump isn't going to let it rain there for the next 8 years.

[Jimmy Snacks]

You know what Highmark disaster relief is actually something the government should fucking do as they have the resources and tax dollars to do it. Some of you guys are just fucked.

[T1R9sledder]

3 hours ago, Mainecat said:

The bigger problems lie ahead. Sanitation leads to more sickness and lack of power causes any perishable to rot. The loss of vegetation could lead to it being a desert island.

I doubt that, I think Puerto Rico is a rain forest environment. 

[Highmark]

15 minutes ago, Biggie Smails said:

You know what Highmark disaster relief is actually something the government should fucking do as they have the resources and tax dollars to do it. Some of you guys are just fucked.

And they are but you need to be sure to have a certain amount of goods if you are going to live in a remote area.  Keep in mind this was the 3rd major hurricane so it goes without saying resources are somewhat spread out right now.   The govt cannot be everywhere at the same time.  PR is a mountainous island and will take some time to reach everyone.  

Edited October 2, 2017 by Highmark

[Carlos Danger]

32 minutes ago, T1R9sledder said:

I doubt that, I think Puerto Rico is a rain forest environment. 

Some of the pics from St Martin show the normally thick green hills just striped down to bare trees.

[T1R9sledder]

15 minutes ago, Carlos Danger said:

Some of the pics from St Martin show the normally thick green hills just striped down to bare trees.

I've seen those too. It will time the greenery will bounce back. 

[bussman]

So what is the reason for the hold up? The real reason, not political finger pointing answers. 

I understand it's not like you just load up the trucks and drive there so it's not the same as a mainland hit. 

It appears there are a few really bad factors at play here. 

[Snoslinger]

50 minutes ago, bussman said:

So what is the reason for the hold up? The real reason, not political finger pointing answers. 

I understand it's not like you just load up the trucks and drive there so it's not the same as a mainland hit. 

It appears there are a few really bad factors at play here. 

poor immediate actions, poor planning, poor organization. why was trump so eager to help TX and FLA immediately, but not PR? beside the obvious of it being an island and all.

[T1R9sledder]

27 minutes ago, Snoslinger said:

poor immediate actions, poor planning, poor organization. why was trump so eager to help TX and FLA immediately, but not PR? beside the obvious of it being an island and all.

Come on Slinger say it.....you know you want to.....

[Snoslinger]

8 minutes ago, T1R9sledder said:

Come on Slinger say it.....you know you want to.....

already did

trump has done a poor job with puerto rico. does he own the entire blame? no.

 

[Mainecat]

2 hours ago, Carlos Danger said:

Some of the pics from St Martin show the normally thick green hills just striped down to bare trees.

Yup PR too.

[Highmark]

21 minutes ago, Snoslinger said:

already did

trump has done a poor job with puerto rico. does he own the entire blame? no.

 

Yeah the fact that's its an Island and a territory and two other major hurricanes just hit the US couldn't possibly have anything to do with it.  Just admit it there is nothing this admin could have done that made a difference in your mind.  I'm sure its much higher but the fact that only 16 are listed as casualties of the storm is pretty amazing.  

[Snoslinger]

5 minutes ago, Highmark said:

Yeah the fact that's its an Island and a territory and two other major hurricanes just hit the US couldn't possibly have anything to do with it.  Just admit it there is nothing this admin could have done that made a difference in your mind.  I'm sure its much higher but the fact that only 16 are listed as casualties of the storm is pretty amazing.  

oh bullshit. for starters, he could have sent more military in sooner, including the naval ship hospital. I strill think he didn't realize PR was an American territory until days after.

 

[Highmark]

4 minutes ago, Snoslinger said:

oh bullshit. for starters, he could have sent more military in sooner, including the naval ship hospital. I strill think he didn't realize PR was an American territory until days after.

 

What do you suggest the ship sit there in the path of the storm?  

Sunday, September 17 – Pre-Landfall

• FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) remains fully activated with all emergency support functions operational, including Department of Defense (DoD) liaisons.FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• FEMA has a Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) and Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) co-located with the Governor on St. Croix, as well as liaisons on St. John and St. Thomas that will remain in place throughout the storm’s potential landfall.
• FEMA has an FCO and Incident Management Assistance Team co-located with key staff from the Caribbean Area Division at the FEMA Distribution Center in Puerto Rico, who will remain in place throughout the storm’s potential landfall.
• DoD Civil Authority Information Support(CAIS) element assisting with communication and outreach support to communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• The U.S. Army Area Support Medical Company and the U.S. Air Force Ground Surgical Team operating in St. Thomas are sheltering aboard the amphibious ship USS Kearsarge and will return to U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria passes.
• The Department of Transportation, through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is working on the relocation and protection of the mobile air traffic control tower at St. Thomas airport ahead of the storm.
• The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is prepositioning assets in Puerto Rico, including storm surge and rapid deployment gauges, to support water-level measurements and flood forecasting.
• FEMA temporarily repositions the remainder of the federal employees in the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to resume operations as quickly as possible, while also freeing shelter resources for island residents.  
• , including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), personnel deployed to support Hurricane Irma response efforts will ride out the storm on the USS Kearsarge just off the coast of the islands. They will be ready to continue existing operations as soon as the storm passes.

Monday, September 18 – Pre-Landfall

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• President Donald J. Trump issues federal emergency declarations for the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in advance of Hurricane Maria’s landfall.
• FEMA and federal personnel remain co-located with the Governor on St. Croix, as well as liaisons on St. John and St. Thomas that will remain in place.  FEMA and federal personnel also remain in place and in close coordination with the Governor of Puerto Rico. 
• Two Type 1 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) teams, two canine teams, one logistics package, and one Type 4 US&R team in Puerto Rico.
• FEMA’s efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands include an increased push of commodities over the last several days to Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) points of distribution to ensure residents have extra food, water, and supplies ahead of the storm. 
• U.S. Virgin Islands has six open shelters, with additional shelters scheduled to open prior to the storm’s potential landfall.

Tuesday, September 19 – Storm Approaches Landfall in U.S. Virgin Islands

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• FEMA and federal personnel remain co-located with the Governor on St. Croix, as well as liaisons on St. John and St. Thomas that will remain in place.  FEMA and federal personnel also remain in place and in close coordination with the Governor of Puerto Rico. 
• One Type 4 FEMA US&R team and one canine team to arrive in Puerto Rico.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deploys one Disaster Medical Assistance Team to Puerto Rico.

Wednesday, September 20 – Storm Makes Landfall in Puerto Rico

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• President Donald J. Trump issues major disaster declarations for the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• FEMA and federal personnel remain co-located with the Governor on St. Croix, as well as liaisons on St. John and St. Thomas that will remain in place.  FEMA and federal personnel also remain in place and in close coordination with the Governor of Puerto Rico.
• HHS activates National Disaster Medical System Definitive Care Reimbursement Program, which reimburses medical facilities and hospitals for the medical care costs of patients medically evacuated following disasters.
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is coordinating airlift and deployment of four Quick Response Teams to San Juan post landfall to conduct forecasted security measures.

Thursday, September 21 – Post-Landfall

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• There are more than 3,500 federal staff on the ground in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands supporting response and recovery operations from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
• Two FEMA US&R task forces and support resources are in Puerto Rico conducting reconnaissance and search and rescue. An additional team is on St. Croix conducting search and rescue and reconnaissance.
• Commodities in FEMA’s Puerto Rico Distribution Center include more than 274,000 meals, 25 generators, and more than 500 cots.
• USACE completes a Blue Roof install on Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. Additionally, USACE has 27 generators on hand in St. Thomas with additional commodities to be delivered when conditions permit.
• HHS declares a public health emergency in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Four additional DMATs will arrive in Puerto Rico on September 22.
• Vessels are loaded for U.S. Virgin Islands with 1.3million meals, 2 million liters water, 30 generators, 6,000 cots.
• There are six U.S. Navy helicopters stationed and three Marine Osprey aircraft in the Caribbean.
• More than 700 National Guard are mobilized to Puerto Rico and more than 900 National Guard are mobilized to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Western Area Power Administration, in coordination with Department of Energy, deploys an eight-member advance team in Puerto Rico.
• Department of Interior Office of Law Enforcement has 50 personnel in Puerto Rico.
• Air support (MH-60s) and other assets from the amphibious ships USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill  begin performing search and rescue flights and aerial damage assessments over U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and assist with restoration of damaged airfields.

Friday, September 22

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• There are more than 7,000 federal staff, including 280 FEMA staff, on the ground in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands supporting response and recovery operations from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
• Four FEMA US&R teams and support resources are in Puerto Rico, and one US&R team is in U.S. Virgin Islands conducting reconnaissance and search and rescue. These task forces assist in the rescue of 65 individuals, searching 45 buildings. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting search and rescue operations in St. Croix, and in the surrounding waters. 
• National Guard Bureau (NGB) has 1,600 service members in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
• Vessels loaded with commodities are arriving or awaiting port opening and clearance with an air bridge to deliver commodities to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• More than 70 Federal Law Enforcement Officers are in San Juan supporting search and rescue and medical teams. Three ATF Quick Response Teams (QRT) are arriving to join the four QRTs operating in San Juan.
• USACE and other supporting agencies have completed several temporary power installs on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and completed nearly 100 inspections. Additional generator support is en route. USACE has 120 responders in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• The General Services Administration (GSA) is assessing 80 leased/owned properties.
• USS Kearsarge/26^th Expeditionary Unit Amphibious Ready Group (MEU ARG) aircraft including helicopters and MV-22s, continue damage assessments over the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and complete patient evacuation movements from St. Croix to nearby facilities.

Saturday, September 23

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• The Department of Transportation announces three airports are open for military and relief flights in Puerto Rico and two airports open for military and relief flights in the U.S. Virgin Islands.One port is open with restrictions in Puerto Rico and five ports are open with restrictions in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Support for federal response continues from the amphibious ships USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill including search and rescue flights, aerial damage assessments, logistics support and route clearance for U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
• There are six commercial barges transporting meals, water, generators, cots and other commodities to Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• The SS Wright is carrying 1.1 million meals and one million liters of water to the islands.
• The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is transporting 124,000 gallons of diesel fuel to Puerto Rico, with arrival anticipated in the coming days.
• There are 180 American Red Cross volunteers and staff in the Caribbean.

Sunday, September 24

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• Federal partners establish a fuel distribution site in San Juan for federal and local entities to support first responder and critical facility needs.  
• The port of San Juan re-opened for daylight operations and other ports are undergoing assessments.  On St. Thomas, the ports of Crown Bay, Cruz Bay, East Gregerie Channel, Red Hook, and West Gregerie Channel are open with restrictions while other ports are being assessed.  On St. Croix, the ports of Krause Lagoon and Limetree Bay are open with restrictions while other ports are being assessed. 
• The Department of Energy is coordinating with industry on mutual aid for Puerto Rico, and transported crews from New York Power Authority to support damage assessments.
• Eight FEMA US&R task forces are stationed in the Caribbean.
• At the federal staging area in St. Croix, there are more than 43,000 liters of water and more than 20,000 meals available for distribution by territory officials.
• USACE and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continue to survey damaged channels and ports in Puerto Rico.
• DoD CAISE re-inserted into the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with communication and outreach support and DoD Area Support Medical Company re-inserted to U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with medical support needs.
• DoD assets from amphibious ships USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill continue support for search and rescue flights, medical evacuation, aerial damage assessments, logistics support, port surveys and route clearance for U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Monday, September 25

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• There are more than 10,000 federal staff, including more than 700 FEMA personnel, on the ground in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands supporting response and recovery operations from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
• Nine FEMA US&R task forces are stationed and conducting operations in the Caribbean. FEMA US&R task forces saved or assisted 516 individuals. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting search and rescue operations in St. Croix, and in the surrounding waters. 
• Officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico establish points of distribution for survivors to get meals, water, and other commodities. The National Guard supports commodity distribution. 
• Power is restored to Centro Medico Hospital in San Juan and San Pablo Hospital in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
• Fuel arrives for several hospitals in Puerto Rico running on generators: Ashford Presbyterian, Pavia Santurce, Pavia Hato Rey, San Francisco, and Clinica Metro Pavia. The Schneider Regional Medical Center mobile hospital in St. Thomas was re-established.
• DLA, U.S. Northern Command, the U.S. Navy, and USCG, in coordination with the private sector, provide federal support for fuel transportation via air and sea logistical support.
• FEMA, working in coordination with federal partners, provide more than 1.5 million meals, 1.1 million liters of water to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria’s landfall.
• HHS and DoD conduct medical evacuations for more than 100 patients from the islands to the continental United States. Medical evacuations from the islands will continue. Additionally HHS medical teams are on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• NGB has more than 4,300 Guard members on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands taking part in security and support operations. The Air National Guard is focused on transporting food, water, and communications capabilities as well as rapidly increasing airlift into affected areas.
• A Coast Guard mobile communications convoy is en route to Puerto Rico to help improve communications across the storm-impacted area. Coast Guard personnel continue to deliver critical FEMA relief supplies to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• DoD assets from the USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill continue support for response efforts including search and rescue flights, medical evacuation, aerial damage assessments, logistics support, commodity lifts, port surveys, and hospital assessments with HHS for U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Tuesday, September 26

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• FEMA is delivering food and water to points of distribution and regional staging areas in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John.
• American Red Cross (ARC) mobilizes to Puerto Rico 9,000 comfort kits and several thousand of tarps, flashlights, batteries, blankets, and hand sanitizer. To U.S. Virgin Islands, ARC will also send tens of thousands of bags of rice and beans with cots, blankets, comfort kits, tarps, trash bags, sponges, hand sanitizer, and insect repellent.
• Corporation for National and Community Service deploys two AmeriCorps to Puerto Rico and four Disaster response teams for Save the Children support.
• Ten FEMA US&R task forces are stationed and conducting operations in Puerto Rico. FEMA US&R task forces have saved or assisted 557 individuals and five pets, while searching over 2,600 structures.
• There are currently 32 points of distribution for commodities in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• More than 180 Federal Law Enforcement Officers are in San Juan and the U.S. Virgin Islands supporting search and rescue, medical teams, and other federal responders. 
• In support of Hurricane Maria relief and reconstitution operations, the U.S. Government established temporary air traffic flow management procedures for flights into San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico. Roosevelt Roads and Aguadilla Airports in Puerto Rico are open for military and relief flights during daylight.
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations personnel are onsite in St. Thomas to evaluate, fix, and install FAA equipment, in support of air traffic control operations.
• USCG identifies eight ports with some restrictions in Puerto Rico, and nine open in U.S. Virgin Islands with restrictions. USCG reports the ports of Guayanilla, Salinas, and Tallaboa are fully open, and the ports of San Juan, Fajardo, Culebra, Guayama, and Vieques are open with restrictions in Puerto Rico. The ports of Crown Bay, Charlotte Amalie, East Gregerie Channel, West Gregerie Channel, and Redhook Bay on St. Thomas, the ports of Krause Lagoon, Limetree Bay, and Frederiksted on St. Croix, and the port of Cruz Bay on St. John are open with restrictions. Other ports are undergoing assessments.
• 14 DoD flights arrived September 25 to deliver water and meals, helicopters, communications equipment, additional security forces, and communications and contingency response units for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• USACE coordinates transportation of more than 300 FEMA or DLA generators from across the U.S. to meet anticipated requirements in the islands. In Puerto Rico, the team completes 27 of 32 requested temporary power assessments of critical facilities. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, USACE completed 90 of 131 requested temporary power assessments of critical facilities and began generator installations.
• DoD assets from the USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill continue support for response efforts including logistics support, route clearance, port restoration, and hospital assessments with HHS for U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Wednesday, September 27

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.  FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• DoD expands its response, and sustainment forces to augment those already on the ground to support the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and FEMA. 
• FEMA and its federal partners continue 24-hour operations to reach inaccessible areas of Puerto Rico to reach survivors, provide fuel to hospitals, and re-open. 
• FEMA US&R task forces have saved or assisted 841 individuals and five pets, while searching over 2,600 structures. FEMA US&R is also conducting operational assessments of hospitals in Puerto Rico.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection has ten members providing security to two FEMA ships.
• DoD CAIS is assisting with communication and outreach support to communities in Puerto Rico.
• Half of the dialysis centers in Puerto Rico are open and accessible for patients.
• USACE is conducting assessments and planning for power grid restoration in Puerto Rico, and addressing the 1.4 million cubic yards of debris across the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• In Puerto Rico, fuel is delivered to 19 hospitals for power generators. Fuel continues to be delivered to hospitals and other locations around Puerto Rico.
• The U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority drinking water system is back online, and other drinking water systems on the islands are top priority for receiving generators.
• 17 chainsaw teams (34 individuals) and one Incident Management Team (IMT) (23 individuals) from the Department of Agriculture United States Forest Service arrive in Puerto Rico to conduct emergency road clearance and manage logistics.
• To bolster the delivery of fuel throughout Puerto Rico, 100 delivery trucks were dispatched by the DLA.

Thursday, September 28

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• FAA reports Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) accommodated 25 commercial flights and processed 5,000 ticketed passengers.
• Two generators are installed at Concordia Fresh Water Pump Station and the Herbert Grigg Shelter.
• Recovery efforts are now supporting more than a dozen commercial passenger flights per day at SJU in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• The Concordia potable water pump station is online in St. Croix.
• FEMA search and rescue teams have accessed 90 percent of Puerto Rico, conducting search and rescue operations and helping to assess hospitals.
• All municipalities in Puerto Rico have been reached by FEMA US&R, the Department of Health and Human Services, Commonwealth officials, and/or the National Guard.
• Additional National Disaster Medical System staff arrive to support hospital assessments and medical needs of these in Puerto Rico.

Friday, September 29

• FEMA’s NRCC is fully activated with all emergency support functions operational.FEMA holds daily video-teleconference with leadership across various departments and agencies.
• There are more than 10,000 federal staff representing 36 departments and agencies, including more than 800 FEMA personnel on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands engaged in response and recovery operations from hurricanes Maria and Irma.
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) made $40 million available to the PR Highways and Transportation Authority (PHRTA) for emergency relief work to impacted roads.
• In Puerto Rico, 56 of 68 hospitals are partially operational, and one hospital is fully operational.
• FAA reports SJU begins international commercial service with two flights.
• The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has limited handout mail service available today at 49 locations in Puerto Rico, which represents 43 percent of all post offices on the island. 41 of these locations are also able to provide postal retail services. Limited handout mail service, along with limited retail service, begins today in St. Croix. Limited mail service continues in St. Thomas. On St. John, limited mail service continues with no retail services available.

[bussman]

Ouch

[Mainecat]

The US military should have been there on day 1 clearing roads and providing transport drivers and rescue teams. We can do a shock and awe destruction in a few days in Iraq but it took over a week to get the military involved.