christiefan915 (09-29-2017)
"The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, lashed out at acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke's comment that the Hurricane Maria relief efforts are a "good-news story," saying, that in reality, it's a "people-are-dying story."
"Speaking outside the White House on Thursday, Duke said she is “very satisfied” with efforts to aid Puerto Rico in the wake of Maria, which devastated the island and has created a humanitarian crisis. Duke said, “It is really a good-news story,” an assessment that prompted San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz's strong rebuttal.:
“Well, maybe from where she's standing, it's a good-news story. When you’re drinking from a creek, it's not a good-news story. When you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good-news story,”
So how long before the conservatives fed by their right wing media and its' demogogues start the character assassination of the mayor of San Juan?
christiefan915 (09-29-2017)
A fleet of C130's from Savannah's 165th Airlift Wing of GA Air National Guard bring in water, food and supplies to U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix and Puerto Rico.
SavannahNow 9/22
On Saturday, the island’s main port in San Juan reopened and 11 ships arrived, the AP reports, bringing 1.6 million gallons of water, 23,000 cots, food, and electrical generators. More than 2,500 National Guard members have been deployed to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers are working to reopen more ports on the islands. (FEMA is keeping a running list of federal resources deployed to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.)
AP 9/23
It knocked out power in the US commonwealth of more than 3 million people, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said. And it could be months before the electricity returns.
"This is going to be a long road," Rosselló said Saturday.
At least 15 people are confirmed dead on Dominica, and dozens more remain missing. One person died in the US Virgin Islands, probably from drowning, authorities said. At least six people were killed in Puerto Rico, said Héctor M. Pesquera, the island's public safety director.
US President Donald Trump has pledged federal help for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
On Saturday evening, the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration confirmed that 4,000 members of the the U.S. Army Reserves have been deployed in Puerto Rico to help with Hurricane Maria recovery.
The governor said the island has a 20-day supply of gasoline and diesel and will install "water oasis" stations around the island. Many roads are impassable and gas stations were destroyed, he said.
CNN 9/23
"Federal partners are aggressively working to meet and overcome challenges to opening ports and restoring power to bring additional life-saving commodities and personnel into disaster-affected areas," the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.
Several flights and sea vessels with meals, water and generators have been arriving or are headed to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands affected, the agency said.
Brock Long, the FEMA director, said on Twitter Sunday he would visit Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands on Monday.
Residents also have limited access to cell signal, causing panic among families at home and abroad who have been unable to contact their loved ones.
"I know many people who are living in the States are worried about not hearing from their families," González said. "Don't get nervous, we just have problems with communications lines."
(I dealt with this as well in Irma...no cell service for 4 days)
CNN 9/24
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/f...142_01.jpg.png
Soldiers stationed at 783rd Maint. Co. in Toa Baja, P.R. transporting more than 6,000
gallons of water to the San José community, Sept. 24.
Ricardo Rossello
✔ @ricardorossello
Briefed @POTUS @realDonaldTrump in #SituationRoom and thanked him for his leadership, quick response & commitment to our people
12:49 PM - Sep 26, 2017
2,851 2,851 Replies
7,942 7,942 Retweets
He said he was “confident the president understands the magnitude of the situation”.
Mr Rossello said he would be speaking with Mr Trump later on Tuesday to discuss “a long-term recovery package for Puerto Rico to be presented to Congress”, apparently next week.
A flotilla of ships and thousands more military personnel are being sent to Puerto Rico, the Trump administration announced.
American Red Cross
✔ @RedCross
Nearly 400 #RedCross workers are on the ground in Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands providing relief after Hurricane #Maria.
3:39 PM - Sep 26, 2017
28 28 Replies
420 420 Retweets
665 665 likes
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said the devastation wrought by the storm presents unique logistical challenges for the federal response. He said demolished airports and seaports have made it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.
Mr Long said 16 Navy and Coast Guard ships are now in the waters around Puerto Rico, with another 10 ships on the way. They include the USS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship. Planes and ships are also bringing in a military force to help distribute aid.
ExpressAndStar 9/26
Between the Coast Guard and the Navy, the U.S. has 16 ships involved in relief in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including the Amphibious Ready Group led by the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge, FEMA Director Long said at the White House Tuesday.
The Kearsarge has Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, aboard. At least another 10 ships were on the way or preparing to debark to the area, Long said.
At the direction of FEMA and local governors, U.S. Northern Command has overall responsibility for the military response in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, while U.S. Southern Command working through the State Department was focusing on the Caribbean's Leeward Islands.
As repairs to air traffic control systems continue, NorthCom estimated that the traffic flow to airfields in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will increase dramatically over the next 24 hours -- from 3-6 aircraft per hour to 10 per hour for a total of about 240 aircraft per day, the Defense Department said in a statement.
Military.com 9/26
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U.S. Marines with the 26th MEU exit U.S. Navy Landing Craft, Utility 1654 to assist in support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Maria in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Sept. 25, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Alexis C. Schneider)
Abortion rights dogma can obscure human reason & harden the human heart so much that the same person who feels
empathy for animal suffering can lack compassion for unborn children who experience lethal violence and excruciating
pain in abortion.
Unborn animals are protected in their nesting places, humans are not. To abort something is to end something
which has begun. To abort life is to end it.
Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Donation drives continue throughout South Florida to help victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, as people from the island fly here to escape the harsh conditions back home.
“I feel hopeless,” said Milagros Bonilla after arriving in Miami from her native Puerto Rico. “I don’t have water. I don’t have electricity. There’s no food. I’m legally bind. I was in crisis. And my son went to get me.”
Bonilla is one of the hundreds of people who flew in to Miami International Airport from Puerto Rico to stay with relatives as the country looks to rebuild.
puerto rico relief American Airlines, Local Drives Send Supplies To Puerto Rico
Dozens in Miami come together to aid in relief efforts for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. (Source: CBS4)
“I can’t be over there. It’s terrible, terrible, a really bad experience,” said Hilda Rodriguez Graniela, who also came to stay with relatives.
For those staying behind, help is on the way. A number of collection drives are taking place throughout South Florida including one in Downtown Miami at a CrossFit gym.
“We are bringing in items for Puerto Rico because there’s a need and the island is devastated and this is a small way we can contribute,” said Jennifer Garcia, who stopped by to donate some items.
American Airlines is holding “Operation Puerto Rico Strong” which allows its employees to send one generator and a box of 150 lbs of supplies free of charge to relatives on the island. Sandra Alvarado, who’s been with the company for 26 years, is sending canned goods, medicine and water to her brother and sister.
“It was like from 7 a.m. all the way to 12 midnight packing the boxes and getting them ready for our family,” said Alvarado.
American Airlines says Operation Puerto Rico Strong continues through Friday. Those supplies are being flown in on a daily basis.
CBS 9/24
PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - The president will head to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands next week to see the devastation from Hurricane Maria.
Many of the island's more than 3.4 million American citizens are still without adequate food, water and fuel. Gas stations, banks, and supermarkets are gradually reopening but there are limited supplies.
Meanwhile concerned Americans, including some here in Philadelphia, are flying in supplies from across the country. An airbus full of donations is getting ready to fly from Philadelphia International Airport to San Juan this morning to help the relief effort.
FOX 29’s Chris O'Connell will be on the flight to Puerto Rico this morning.
9/27
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (CBSMiami) — Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine arrived in Puerto Rico with thousands of pounds of much-needed supplies as the island struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria.
The mayor organized relief efforts and chartered a cargo plane which left Wednesday morning from Opa-Locka Airport with 7,000 pounds of supplies.
“This is a call for help for everybody to do whatever they can to help Puerto Rico. The plane is full with water, food, medical supplies, batteries, stocked full to the gills,” said Levine.
“There is destruction everywhere you look,” said CBS4’s Ted Scouten, who traveled with the mayor.
Levine called the relief effort a race against time, saying it needs to be handled like a military operation.
“This was an invasion. This was an attack against the United States. Maria was the aggressor. Now we need to come in and fight back and we need to do it with what we know is the best we got, the United States military,: he said.
Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, who has been personally wading through flood waters to check on residents, met Mayor Levine on the tarmac and urged others to help.
“It’s a war on devastation and a race against time,” said Mayor Cruz.
She had a direct message for anyone wanting to donate items to Puerto Rico and shared a list of supplies they need which includes:
•Generators
•Food
•Solar-powered items
•Lighting/Flashlights
•Portable Nebulizers
•Bottled Water
•Diapers for adults and children
“This is a humanitarian crisis already, bound to get worse if we do not do what needs to be done and do it quickly,” said Mayor Cruz.
Cruz was grateful for Mayor Levine’s help.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Miami has always been there for the world and we’re so thankful that they’re there for us,” said Cruz. “That’s hope wrapped up in a little box, straight from Miami Beach. That’s sunshine.”
Mayor Levine and State Rep. Robert Asencio toured the area of San Juan, taking a look at the damage and distributing some of the items Levine brought over.
The aid from South Florida will be distributed through shelters like the one in San Juan and others around the island.
Both mayors hope more help can be shipped in by the cruise industry, which is now steaming back into port.
“That’s the first one. First one that’s coming back,” Mayor Cruz said with a big smile. “We’re open for tourism in Old San Juan, yes. Yes, we are.”
CBS 9/27
In the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the damage in Puerto Rico is leading some North Carolinians to take action.
Samaritan’s Purse, an international aid organization based out of Boone, has sent its cargo plane on 11 round trips to the Caribbean in the aftermath of the hurricanes. Kaitlyn Lahm, spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, said the plane landed on Sunday with supplies for 6,000 families and returned with more supplies to reach another 1,500 households yesterday.
“It’s a desperate situation on the ground,” she said. “There’s a serious need for clean water, food is becoming scarce and there’s a huge need for shelter because most of the homes have been completely destroyed or, if the walls are still standing, the roofs have blown off because of the high winds.”
Lahm said beyond the thousands of families’ homes that were destroyed, the hurricanes also damaged Puerto Ricans’ livelihoods.
“These islands rely on the tourism industry, which is really nonexistent at this point because of the devastation,” she said. “So while we want to provide that physical relief of shelter, food and water, we also want to come alongside the family and remind them there's still hope and encourage them moving forward.”
Industry losses from Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean are estimated to be between 40 and 85 billion dollars, according to reports by AIR Worldwide. Damage in Puerto Rico alone accounts for more than 85 percent of the loss.
Jamie Ramos, a UNC student from Puerto Rico, said of the hundreds of people she knows on the island, she has only heard from two of her cousins.
“The only reason I’ve heard from them is because they have access to Facebook,” she said. “My other family, I just have no idea where they are.”
Ramos said most people she encounters on campus have little idea of how bad the ongoing situation is.
“The problem is that Irma knocked down the hurricane protection the island had and then Maria hit, so it’s completely catastrophic,” she said. “It’s all I’m thinking about all day and everybody else is just going about their business. It’s so stressful.”
Lahm said Samaritan Purse’s relies on private donations to fund its disaster relief efforts.
“We prepare for these kinds of disasters. We’re constantly watching the storms and watching the weather. That’s what enabled us to be on the ground so quickly after both storms.”
To donate to Samaritan's Purse, visit: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/disa...e-relief-2017/.
9/27
In the wake of Hurricane Maria, which has devastated Puerto Rico and left much of the island without power or drinking water, Tidal announced today that in partnership with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort, it has launched an initiative aimed at filling a 200,000-pound cargo plane full of hurricane-relief supplies to the beleaguered island.
The first plane is expected to leave on October 7 and carry 200,000 pounds of batteries, flashlights, portable lanterns, diapers, baby wipes, cases of water and feminine hygiene products.
The company is calling on the global community to help with the humanitarian crisis affecting Puerto Rico – those in New York can visit one of 19 drop off locations across the state (listed below) to bring supplies; monetary donations are being accepted at TIDAL.com/PuertoRico.
According to a press release, artists including Fat Joe and Romeo Santos along with radio personality Angie Martinez will be at the New York drop off points helping collect, sort and send items that have been donated.
https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.c...0&h=393&crop=1
“My heart goes out to every single individual that has suffered as a result of this Hurricane,” said Fat Joe. “Watching from the sidelines has been heartbreaking – let’s fill that plane and help our brothers and sisters! Even the smallest contribution will go a long way.”
Variety 9/28
Abortion rights dogma can obscure human reason & harden the human heart so much that the same person who feels
empathy for animal suffering can lack compassion for unborn children who experience lethal violence and excruciating
pain in abortion.
Unborn animals are protected in their nesting places, humans are not. To abort something is to end something
which has begun. To abort life is to end it.
Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
Stretch has his cut & paste. And he's stickin' to it.
So now updates from Fema, the White House, and several first person narratives are proof the Administration is on the job? Is that like, " "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Those private organizations would have been there regardless, the point is that the President, as the leader of the Nation, was late in acknowledging Puerto Rico's plight, failing at his leadership responsibilities, and what makes even more of a blunder is the reason he was delayed was because he was creating his own diversionary "issue' to draw attention away from his Administration's ineptness
I really do appreciate how hard you guys are working on this. Your concern is palpable. Almost like you are actually doing something
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Русский (09-29-2017), Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
Abortion rights dogma can obscure human reason & harden the human heart so much that the same person who feels
empathy for animal suffering can lack compassion for unborn children who experience lethal violence and excruciating
pain in abortion.
Unborn animals are protected in their nesting places, humans are not. To abort something is to end something
which has begun. To abort life is to end it.
Русский (09-29-2017), Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
christiefan915 (09-29-2017)
Abortion rights dogma can obscure human reason & harden the human heart so much that the same person who feels
empathy for animal suffering can lack compassion for unborn children who experience lethal violence and excruciating
pain in abortion.
Unborn animals are protected in their nesting places, humans are not. To abort something is to end something
which has begun. To abort life is to end it.
Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
I have to be fair here. Though the Secretaries comments may be considered insensitive the contrast between the responses of the Bush administration and Hurricane Katrina and the Trump administration and Hurricane Irma and Harvey are stark. Trump did not systematically undermine FEMA and other Federal Emergency response organization for ideological reasons then staffed what remained with unqualified personnel for patronage reasons. The Trump administrations response, by no means perfect, but what disaster response ever is, has been competent and affective. That's a far cry from what happened during and after Katrina during the Bush administration.
Last edited by Mott the Hoople; 09-29-2017 at 04:55 PM.
You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic!
dukkha (09-29-2017)
Stretch (09-29-2017), Truth Detector (09-29-2017)
christiefan915 (09-29-2017)
I don't think so. I mean keep in mind that the twin disaster of Harvey and Maria is far larger in scale than Katrina was yet the response has been better organized and more affective than the Katrina response. I think the data is clearly showing that FEMA and the Federal response has done well considering the staggering scope of these twin disasters. I don't see hardly any of the crony inspired incompetency from the Federal response that occurred during Katrina.
You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic!
christiefan915 (09-29-2017)
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