LMM San Juan Int. Airport Opens, Marathon of Help is Planned
The opening of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport yesterday allowed the arrival of the first shipments of emergency supplies to help mitigate the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Maria.
Military aircraft brought water bottles, food, cots and electric generators to the Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Meanwhile, a plane chartered by the New York state government arrived in San Juan yesterday with 36,000 bottles of water, 10,000 meals, cots, electrical generators, 10 engineers, planners, and personnel from the state Electric Power Authority.
The shipment included drones and drone pilots from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) who will help the Puerto Rican government to assess damage to infrastructure, including the power grid and telecommunications.
The federal government pointed out it focuses on collaborating with Island authorities in order to save lives, ensure the full opening of ports and airports, and lay the foundations for the restoration of the power grid.
"This is going to be a marathon," said FEMA administrator, Brock Long.
Ana Morales, FEMA Deputy FCO, assured that as soon as the US Coast Guard gives its approval, a military vessel with more water, food, power generators and tarpaulins to cover damaged roofs will dock at the port of San Juan.
Brig. Gen. Diana Holland, the commander of U.S. Army Corps' South Atlantic Division, said that already having in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands military and civilian employees who will participate in the damage assessment process in health centers and water treatment plants, in addition to planning the necessary support has been an advantage.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, head of the New York delegation, indicated that once the damage assessment to the electrical system is made, additional workers, helicopters and National guardsmen will be deployed.
Democratic Congresswoman and Puerto Rico native, Nydia Velázquez, and state representative Marcos Crespo accompanied Cuomo on his visit to the Island. "We bring the love of 19 million New Yorkers," said Cuomo once San Juan, next to Governor Ricardo Rosselló.
Congresswoman Velázquez -who until yesterday wasn´t able to talk to her family in Yabucoa-, promised to gather the political power of her allies in Congress "for Puerto Rico to be assigned all that is necessary."
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Resident Commissioner in Washington, Jenniffer González, requested to grant Puerto Rico an exemption so it does not have to pay for all of the subsidies from FEMA, given the Island's fiscal crisis and the new emergency it currently faces.
On the other hand, Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez (Illinois) wrote to the Congressional leadership asking for a bipartisan delegation to visit Puerto Rico to see the damage and size the massive aid that will be required by the Island in order to rebuild homes, shops and public infrastructure.
In the headquarters of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), its director Carlos Mercader transformed his office into an information center for the diaspora, federal authorities and residents of the Island.
For the third time since Hurricane Irma, President Trump -who plans to go to San Juan- telephoned Governor Rosselló on Wednesday night and reaffirmed the federal government's support for the reconstruction agenda.
In an opinion piece, The Washington Post welcomed President Trump´s plans to go to San Juan as he sets an example in doing so, because in the midst of a devastation that is not fully known yet, "The Americans who live in Puerto Rico must not be forgotten."
[El Nuevo Dia]
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