Daily Beast: U.S. Army Takes Over Massive Mission to Save Puerto Rico
More than a week after Hurricane Maria, the response is finally being federalized as the island struggles to distribute supplies and restore power.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—The U.S. Army will take over recovery operations in Puerto Rico, Col. Jorge Santini of Puerto Rico's National Guard state command told The Daily Beast. The announcement is expected Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Northern Command appointed Army Brig. Gen. Richard Kim on Wednesday to oversee operations. The Army will oversee every facet of the massive mission and coordinate with the National Guard, FEMA, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello’s office, Santini said. Approximately 2,600 U.S. military personnel and Guard members are currently involved in Hurricane Maria relief efforts, the Pentagon said.
"We need more manpower, more resources, more help, quickly and efficiently," Santini said. "We needed to federalize the recovery plan."
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The aid has arrived .... they just cannot deliver it .... Puerto Rico aid is trapped in thousands of shipping containers (CNN). Drivers are talking care of their own emergencies (which I can understand), and even if they could get to the port where these containers are .... the infrastructure is not there to deliver it. To put it bluntly .... this is what a disaster looks like. But this is going to be the start of an even bigger fight .... people are now talking that it will take hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild Puerto Rico, and that Puerto Rico's massive debt should be forgiven. Here is an easy prediction .... this is not going to go over well with many in Congress. As for those who are angry about the aid response .... I can understand their frustration .... I have experienced two natural disasters in my life. The loss of a chalet 22 years ago in the Laurentians of Quebec due to a forest fire, and the Montreal Ice Storm of 1998 when I had no electricity for 9 days, and it was -20C outside. You want government there to help you .... but these things take time, and you are not the only one who is hurting. The key to survival is always the same. Rely on your network of family and friends .... because they will help you the most in the first few weeks. After that .... rely on government if you can meet their requirement for assistance. As for being angry .... it is going to get you nowhere .... but it plays well on television.
More News On Puerto Rico
Anger grows over Puerto Rico relief effort -- AFP
Puerto Rico struggles for relief after Hurricane Maria -- CNBC
Getting relief supplies to Puerto Rico ports is only half the problem -- Washington Post
'Destroyed' Puerto Rico 'truly a logistical nightmare for FEMA,' says ex-FEMA chief Brown -- CNBC
Puerto Ricans say US relief efforts failing them -- The Australian
Puerto Rico supply failure stops food and water reaching desperate residents -- The Guardian
Trump questions how 'massive' Puerto Rico recovery will be funded -- AFP
Maria dims Puerto Rico’s bleak economic outlook -- AP
Doesn't the military in PR have helicopters?
ReplyDeletethat will take care of lack of water, food, electricity...visit, bob, and tell us how many there are and what they can do...Ft Hood in Texas largest army base in the world. Can't they take care of Houston?
ReplyDelete"Doesn't the military in PR have helicopters? "
ReplyDeleteThe military is away from home again, running flat out, and you have a snide comment.
Par for the course.
I work with a number of Puerto Ricans. One of them, who has skin in the game (their family still lives in Puerto Rico) told me that things were better than the last time Puerto Rico got hit. After the last time people bought generators. From what I gather things are not as bad as the partisan press and Democrats allege.
ReplyDeleteAfter Katrina I do not think any president wants to look bad in the aftermath of a hurricane, so they will provide every resource the government can legally provide. Still a president has a hard time with obstructionist mayors and governors. Remember school bus? He obstructed. Now that democrat is in jail on other charges.
Aizino
ReplyDelete"Away from home, running flat out"
Then you would agree it is long past time to come home while there is still a home to come home to.
Anon
They brought supplies to a devastated land, knowing the extreme situation with no transportation facilities and they didn't bring the means to help distribute the stuff? There you go, must be the US military.
" Aizino Smith said...
ReplyDelete"Doesn't the military in PR have helicopters? "
The military is away from home again, running flat out, and you have a snide comment.
Par for the course.
And there you go. That of course is one of the many, many arguments for the US to stay out of other countries business. Iraq and Afghanistan are goners, just another US loss. Many lives wasted. Many trillions gone. For zero. Actually it's a negative number.
We should be taking care of our own people, right here. You know, people who live in the US. Like PR. If the military can't do this it's time to rethink priorities. Stop pissing away money on useless things. If the military can't or won't do it, it's time to slash the Pentagons budget and redirect to what's needed.
And yes to Bob Huntley we do have helicopters. Most of course are not where they are needed now. Our newest most expensive plaything for the Pentagon is a...helicopter! Whoo Hoo!
Iraq was a goner in the 1980s. Iran would have over ran it.
ReplyDeleteIraq did not have to have such trouble, but when you 1/2 ___ something, he does not end well. The Democrats were never behind the effort, but they did vote for it the 2nd, time around.
Afghanistan is a goner? The 1990s were good in Afghanistan? Please Jason do tell!
Afghanistan was invaded, because the legitimate government, which was allied with AL Qaeda, refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden.
We asked for an extradition, which would have been followed by a trial. We did not get it, so there was a war. Our first optiopn exercised was legal.
" Aizino Smith said...
ReplyDeleteOne of them, who has skin in the game (their family still lives in Puerto Rico) told me that things were better than the last time Puerto Rico got hit. After the last time people bought generators. From what I gather things are not as bad as the partisan press and Democrats allege. "
Well there you go folks. One person said it's not that bad. That's good enough for me then. I guess case closed, all those people in PR are actually actors on a sound stage in Burbank. /s (because I have to point out things like that)
Oh come on. Give your brain a chance.
"Aizino Smith has left a new comment on the post "U.S. Army Now Responsible For Recovery Operations ...":
ReplyDeleteIraq was a goner in the 1980s. Iran would have over ran it.
Iraq did not have to have such trouble, but when you 1/2 ___ something, he does not end well. The Democrats were never behind the effort, but they did vote for it the 2nd, time around.
Afghanistan is a goner? The 1990s were good in Afghanistan? Please Jason do tell!
Afghanistan was invaded, because the legitimate government, which was allied with AL Qaeda, refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden.
We asked for an extradition, which would have been followed by a trial. We did not get it, so there was a war. Our first optiopn exercised was legal. "
Oh FFS. No I wasn't talking about the Taliban, Russians, Brits, Indians (you know from India), Mesopotamians, Mongol Hoards or anything else.
I'm talking about the failed US mission in Afghanistan. The one where OBL was in Tora Bora and the brainiacs in the white house F'd it up. Oh yes, that we asked the Taliban to turn over OBL was just part of how stupid the whole endeavor was.
Iraq. You mean the Iraq that was our buddy in the '80s? The one where the pic of Rummy and Sadam was taken? The enemy of my enemy thing only works in the movies and then only till the movie is over. We made Iraq into the semi-failed state that it is today. And played right into Irans hands.
Yes, we accomplished zip, zero, nothing but wasted lives and trillions in debt.
Are you kids still hollering about Osama bin Framed ? The backlash from assassinating Benazir Bhutto over her allegations bin Laden was a con obviously never surfaced. Nor did French intelligence's report he died Dec 21 01 from complications of kidney failure stimulate consciousness. Not even the disposal of the corpse from the black ops Pakistani adventure and subsequent elimination of the special ops team raise consciousness that the CIA paymaster and Saudi prince was never even charged by the FBI so that there was no legal document for the Afghani Taleban to respond to surface in public awareness. Such is the power of the press to ignore inconvenient truths - especially at the instruction of the military.
ReplyDeleteJason Johnson,
ReplyDeleteCoworker said what he know about the east side.
I have multiple Puerto Rican coworkers. I'll find out more.
But I do object to the WaPos description of people huddled around cellphone towers or cellphones trying to get the world out. I heard the word got out via Facebook (i.e. the internet).
Outside of San Juan I do understand why the power lines are down.
I also understand that the New York Times tortures statistics. They made it out that this was the worse Hurricane ev'ah!
So you look at wiki and other places and see that the windspeeds placed it 8th or lower. You look at barometric pressure or death toll and it is not close. The NYT used windspeed over land. So they got they nonstandard, tortured stat that is hard to check and they got their worst ev'ah story. Which is okay, because the NYT can now go through their 4th phase of downsizing.
The NYT was just upsizing in 2000 or so and now it has been a continuous slide down. It must be something to do with the reporting.
"Oh yes, that we asked the Taliban to turn over OBL was just part of how stupid the whole endeavor was. - Jason
ReplyDeleteAsking a legitimate government to run over a war criminal is a stupid endeavor?
So war or doing nothing is preferable?
OBL swore allegiance to the Taliban. They let him stay. He went behind their backs and broke his promise of allegiance. That is the story by the Taliban. The Taliban cited the 'rule of hospitality.' Does the rule of hospitality outweigh the one of allegiance?
So a legit government refuses to turnover a war criminal and all Jason can say is FFS.
What does this make Jason, honest?
Bright?
Truthful?
Superficial?
Callous?
www.quora.com/Why-did-Taliban-not-surrender-Osama-to-America
Here is where the U.S. was jacked around adding insult to injury.
"The ambassador also reiterated that bin Laden was incapable of carrying out such sophisticated operations from his base in Afghanistan, where he is protected as the Taliban's honoured "guest"."
www.irishtimes.com/news/taliban-warns-us-but-will-consider-bin-laden-extradition-1.396397