Ineptitude in managing the aftermath of Maria in Puerto Rico

[usmbguest5318]

In Puerto Rico, the electricity is out all over the island. How is FEMA instructing people to register or request help? By calling FEMA or registering on the Internet. How do people do that when they have no electricity?

In mainland U.S., it used to be that phone lines worked when the electricity went out because a small bit of current was carried in the copper wire. These days, phone lines are fiber optic and require an external power source.

From FEMA's website:

How to Apply for Assistance:

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov/es or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.​

 

[Confounding]

I just want to mention again that in 2010 when Haiti was hit by an earthquake without advance warning the U.S had a significantly bigger response than it did to help Puerto Rico. Haiti is not part of the U.S.

Also the argument that we were stretched too thin is asinine. The U.S military is the biggest and most well funded force the world has ever seen. It's seriously laughable to suggest it's incapable of providing powerful disaster relief in more than one location.

 

[iceberg]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2...al-response-puerto-rico-and-us-virgin-islands

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

The island was destroyed, and this is not a Disney movie with a pathetically unreal happy ending.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

 

[dannyboys]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

WHY the fuck would President Trump "under respond"?
So those you hate him will hate him more? So those who are his base will leave him?
THINK!!!!!!!!
It's in President Trump's best interest to do everything possible to help PR.
THINK!!!!!!!!!

 

[iceberg]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

The island was destroyed, and this is not a Disney movie with a pathetically unreal happy ending.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

so far i do hear her the most. almost as if she's the only spokesperson for the entire effort.

but i also hear what trump has already sent (fake news or not who knows)
that she *was* standing in front of a lot of pallets of supplies when she said she has nothing
and that she has NOT been to the FEMA meetings.

yet i see her pic in water with memes showing how great she is.

we're so jaded as a country we use these events to portray things as we want them to be. need them to be at times. we can't just take things as they are, *Everything* must be a weapon against those we hate.

i don't listen to those assholes much anymore and i just dig a bit deeper for the truth and leave them talking to tattoo about the plane coming in anymore.

 

[iceberg]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

WHY the fuck would President Trump "under respond"?
So those you hate him will hate him more? So those who are his base will leave him?
THINK!!!!!!!!
It's in President Trump's best interest to do everything possible to help PR.
THINK!!!!!!!!!

calm down, beavis.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

In Puerto Rico, the electricity is out all over the island. How is FEMA instructing people to register or request help? By calling FEMA or registering on the Internet. How do people do that when they have no electricity?

In mainland U.S., it used to be that phone lines worked when the electricity went out because a small bit of current was carried in the copper wire. These days, phone lines are fiber optic and require an external power source.

From FEMA's website:

How to Apply for Assistance:

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov/es or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.​

Copper wires don't hold current. You still need a power source.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Is she kin to nagin?

 

[usmbguest5318]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

The island was destroyed, and this is not a Disney movie with a pathetically unreal happy ending.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

And that has what to do with the ineptitude and perfunctoriness of the relief efforts directed at PR?

 

[iceberg]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

The island was destroyed, and this is not a Disney movie with a pathetically unreal happy ending.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

And that has what to do with the ineptitude and perfunctoriness of the relief efforts directed at PR?

given your track record of slamming trump in every post, even with bullets and $5 words, why should anything think you're being unbiased now of all times?

 

[easyt65]

Snowflakes need to give it up - yet another FAKE NEWS, FALSE ACCUSATION, BS attempted HIT Piece.

SSDD!

The San Juan Mayor, engaging in Trump Bashing - pleading for someone to save them - while standing in front of a warehouse filled with relief supplies, was exposed as a HUGE Hillary Supporter in 2016. Go figure...



The governor of Puerto Rico now says that there is a LOT of relief supplies and there is enough gas on the island. The problem is there aren't enough trucks right now to deliver all the supplies - after all, it IS an island and it was devastated by the hurricane. As one would expect after a direct hit from a Cat 5 / Cat 4 hurricane, logistics is a problem.

"A surge of fuel and food supplies and federal government personnel has begun to arrive in Puerto Rico, the governor of the storm-battered island said Sunday morning.

Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló told reporters that over the next two days, more than half a million barrels of diesel fuel and nearly a million barrels of gasoline would reach Puerto Rico. The fuel is badly needed to power emergency generators and to distribute food and other supplies across the island.

Mr. Rosselló said that the Defense Department had increased its footprint on Puerto Rico to 6,400 people, from roughly 4,600 two days earlier, with more coming, and that other federal agencies were also sending more staff to aid in the island’s recovery from Hurricane Maria, which smashed through the island on Sept. 20."


Here are some stats as of 30 September:

Here is a look at where the numbers stand Sunday:

• Access to drinking water: 45%

• Death toll: 16

• Gasoline stations open: 721 of 1,100

• Electric customers with power: 5%

• Supermarkets open: 295 of 456

• Pharmacies open: 337

• Municipalities visited and provided with emergency supplies: 78 (all of them)

• Staging areas across the island for food, water and other supplies: 11

• Shelters open: 139

• Hospitals open: 51 of 69

• Hospitals connected to the electric grid: 9

• Functioning cell towers: 14%

• Open ports: 75%

• Roads: 50% of major roadways cleared

• U.S. response team: 12,600 people on the island

"But local officials say the response is paltry at best."

-- By the numbers: More than half of Puerto Rico still without drinking water

OF COURSE the people of Puerto Rico believe aid relief has been 'paltry'. The hurricane DEVASTATED Puerto Rico. Every logistical entry into Puerto Rico - airports, ports - were destroyed / heavily damaged. It was initially estimated that electricity would not be restored for MONTHS.


Just to get the supplies in while there were no airports, ports, and roads was a challenge. 1st some of those had to be cleared, although the Navy has smaller ships that could come onto the island via the beach (Amphibious Assault Ships).
- Damaged Ports and Airfields Limiting Puerto Rico Aid Effort: Dunford | Military.com

The Navy has several ships, helos flying in supplies and rescuing people. A USN hospital ship that has dozens of hospital beds has been helping for weeks now, but it is reportedly heading to Japan now.
- *The U.S. Navy will divert an amphibious assault ship that has been providing hurricane relief on the Caribbean island of Dominica to assist in Puerto Rico, the latest piece in an expanding Defense Department mission to provide assistance there, U.S. military officials said Friday."

Idiots criticizing relief efforts seem to think Puerto Rico is the only relief effort going on:
- Virgin Islands
- Leeward Islands
- Dominica
- The Navy is helping with some other islands
- And Let's not forget the United States is steal dealing with Hurricane Relief Efforts in Texas and Florida as well


Again, OF COURSE hurricane victims who have no electricity, whose houses have been destroyed or are heavily damaged, etc do not think help is coming fast enough...but they have to understand 1) They are not the only ones who were effected by the hurricane, the amount of damage done - especially to logistic pipelines / facilities making it difficult to get them supplies 'fast enough', and 3) it is going to take a LONG time to recover from this storm.

The Federal Government is not a Fairy Godmother with a magic wand who can just step in and 'make it all better', no matter who the President is or what political party controls government.

So, again, all the attacks and criticism of Trump for the handling of the Puerto Rico hurricane relief effort - in the midst of 3 (THREE) SIMULTANEOUS US hurricane relief efforts while trying to help other effected islands - is incredibly partisan, UN-REALISTIC, butt-hurt BS!

SSDD!

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Puerto Rico governor: More needed, but feds have helped - CNN

FEMA Provides Update on Federal Response in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | FEMA.gov

yes there are bad stories and yes, it's bad down there. but to be honest, i have zero idea of what we/trump is *really* doing cause off all the butt-hurters who just make shit up and talk ONLY to people who support their hate. anyone else is fake news.

it's very possible trump has under-responded. very possible.

but it's also very possible the same people who hate him for anything he does are just using this to further their own hate and try to justify it yet again.

that attitude makes those people very difficult to talk to and impossible to deal with.

The island was destroyed, and this is not a Disney movie with a pathetically unreal happy ending.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

Individuals like that San Juan Hillary-supporting communist-bitch of a mayor are opportunists looking to improve their standing within their circle of idiots.

And that has what to do with the ineptitude and perfunctoriness of the relief efforts directed at PR?

Nothing, other than her claims blaming a political opponent for her lack of initiative.

I don't know if it has been confirmed, but some San Juan police are claiming she's using the unions to block up the free flow of supplies for the city.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The left is convinced that if they can prevent relief from being distributed they can blame Trump. The mayor of San Juan is refusing to allow distribution of supplies. The Teamsters union has forbidden truck drivers to drive trucks and distribute aid. The screws are being put to the ordinary suffering people solely to hurt Trump. We all know it.

 

[Thinker101]

The left is convinced that if they can prevent relief from being distributed they can blame Trump. The mayor of San Juan is refusing to allow distribution of supplies. The Teamsters union has forbidden truck drivers to drive trucks and distribute aid. The screws are being put to the ordinary suffering people solely to hurt Trump. We all know it.

Standard operating procedure for Democrats.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

The left is convinced that if they can prevent relief from being distributed they can blame Trump. The mayor of San Juan is refusing to allow distribution of supplies. The Teamsters union has forbidden truck drivers to drive trucks and distribute aid. The screws are being put to the ordinary suffering people solely to hurt Trump. We all know it.

They desperately need to blame Trump for something. Unfortunately for them he doesn't let this crap slide and calls them on it. PR is a mess but not due to Trump.