Op-Ed: Puerto Rico disaster shows US could learn from China about how to deal with natural disasters

[jhungary]

Or, the US should learn from China to REMEMBER TO BRING AIRCRAFT FOR DISASTER RELIEF, I have never heard of US Government require Boeing to send out Aircraft to help the relief effort

http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/7/7556.html

Airbus Deploys Two Aircraft to Help Chinese Earthquake Relief Efforts

Two Airbus test aircraft, an A380 and an A340-300 have been deployed to help transport essential relief effort cargo to China's southwestern region following the devastating earthquake near Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008.

The two aircraft will carry over 2,000 tents between them to help shelter the thousands of people left homeless. The relief operation was set up by Airbus, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Paris and is undertaken in close cooperation with Air France Cargo, Air China and Aeroports de Paris.

The A380 and A340 will be operated by Airbus crews. Around 1,100 tents are supplied by the Chinese Embassy with the remaining tents being provided by the Association Franco-Chinoise d'Echanges Economiques et Culturels as a result of individual donations.

The aircraft will first fly from Toulouse to Paris CDG airport, where Air France Cargo will load the containerised cargo. The A380 will depart for Chengdu on May 30 in the afternoon, and the A340 at dawn on May 31. Both aircraft are scheduled to arrive and leave again on May 31.

Airbus employees from throughout the world are contributing to the relief effort. Airbus China and its partner China Aviation Supplies Holding Company donated ten emergency mobile stretcher units for transport aircraft to Chinese life saving teams. Airbus also chartered five train carriages to help deliver 1,000 tonnes of packaged milk donated by a Beijing based dairy company.

Furthermore, Airbus donated five million yuan in cash to help in the relief efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. And once the rescue efforts are over, Airbus will also be looking at projects to support the rebuilding phase.

These flights are part of a series of relief actions the EADS group has undertaken and started through its various divisions, in particular the donation from Airbus, but also providing Infoterra satellite imagery of the affected areas with Astrium, organising and coordinating the work of ten Eurocopter helicopters for relief operations from Guaghan airport, and sending an important quantity of tents for the refugees in Sichuan with EADS/DS.

Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan and in the Middle East.

Photograph: An Airbus A380 at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) on Oct. 25, 2007. Photo contributed by CARNOC.com message board member - cfso-1008.

 

[jhungary]

One Hard Facts.

US Hurricane Season usually have low casualty, Maria, a Category 5 Cyclone saw 28 Killed, Irna, another Cat 5 Cyclone, saw 3 killed, on the other hand, Chinese earthquake usually dissolved into Mass Casualty Situation, Siachun Earthquake suffer 70,000+ Dead, Yushu earthquake cost ~ 2,000 dead, and Yunan Earthquake killed 81.

What is the different between Natural Disaster Handling between US and China??

China's deadly earthquake problem

http://theweek.com/articles/465246/chinas-deadly-earthquake-problem

The aftermath of the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that rocked China's Sichuan province is devastating: 189 dead and more than 11,000 injured. And while that's bad, it's only a fraction of the estimated 80,000 that died after a 7.9-magnitutde quake hit the same region in 2008.

Why does China suffer so many casualties after earthquakes?

As TIME's Bryan Walsh says, human "failures can turn natural disasters into man-made ones — and man-made ones are always worse." Those failures include China's lax building-safety standards, which Luo Shiqiang, a 20-year-old college student whose home collapsed in the earthquake, criticized in an interview with CBS News:

Luo said he wished more had been done to make his community's buildings quake-resistant. "Maybe the country's leaders really wanted to help us, but when it comes to the lower levels the officials don't carry it out," he said. [CBS News]

Shoddy workmanship isn't the only problem. Reuters reports that thousands of earthquake survivors are stranded without food or shelter because many of the roads leading to the province are blocked and damaged. "Supplies have had difficulty getting into the region because of the traffic jams," Kevin Xia, an official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters. "Most of our supplies are still on the way."

There is also a disparity between the damage wrought on rural areas and urban centers, which use better construction materials and have stricter building codes. In 2008, The Wall Street Journal compared the utter devastation in rural Beichuan county with the almost complete lack of damage in Chengdu, a city of 10 million people only 55 miles away.

The question is whether Sichuan experienced less fatalities now than in 2008 solely because the earthquake was smaller, or because the Chinese government actually made good on its promise to reinforce the region's buildings. (Furthermore, the earthquake struck on a weekend when children weren't in school, possibly limiting casualties.)

The government's response this time around has been deemed, almost unanimously, as better than it was five years ago. What changed? First, high-profile individuals like artist Ai Weiwei raised a ruckus after thousands of children in 2008 died in what he called "tofu-skin" schools, the result of local officials siphoning money from construction projects. Ai's quest to name every single child who died during the earthquake — which, in a video piece he created, reached 4,851 names — led to worldwide media attention.

And after 2008, Twitter-like social media sites like Sina became wildly popular, allowing citizens to express their outrage over the children's deaths despite state attempts to control the conversation. The result, says The New Yorker's Evan Osnos, was a change for the better:

For all of the devastation in 2008, the legacy of that earthquake was only partly physical. It changed the way many Chinese people talked about government accountability, charity, and citizenship. As China begins to assess the consequences of the 2013 quake, it will be measuring itself in more ways than one. [The New Yorker]

Perhaps most of all, China's ruling class understands that its grip on power is predicated on the government fulfilling certain obligations. The most prominent is economic growth, but environmental protections, a reduction in corruption, and, increasingly, basic safety guarantees have also come to be expected by the Chinese people. For a state in perpetual fear of a democratic uprising, protecting the livelihood of its citizens is one of the most effective ways of keeping dissent in check.

 

[gambit]

lol...this is a bunch of BS........People who wrote this article know nothing about the situation in Puerto Rico and how disaster being handle worldwide

The Chinese in this thread speaks from extensive personal experience in logistics.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/poli...deadly-floods-reveal-failure-manage-disasters

 

[shadows888]

like her shirt

 

[jhungary]

The Chinese in this thread speaks from extensive personal experience in logistics.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/poli...deadly-floods-reveal-failure-manage-disasters

lol, these people don't know anything about Urban Search and Rescue....

FEMA contribution to the International Urban Search and Rescue Standard is immense, at one point, before any established standard in 2000s, almost the world USAR are following what FEMA teaches about the Method and Marking. The Cross Marking and Correction Planning is the two most important contribution to INSARAG, guess where both of these are from??

The fact to the matter is that these people talk about something like they have extensive knowledge on the issue itself is laughable, when you actually compare how Disaster is handled in the US and China, you will find a discrepancies really, I mean REALLY LARGE, if you put all hurricane disaster casualty happened in the US for the last 30 years, the casualty number is still lower than one single incident happen in Sichuan Earthquake in 2008. And fact to the matter is that 3 of the top 5 deadliest Earthquake happened in China itself speak a lot of volume on how the Chinese conduct their USAR.

But yes, these people now talk about how "Inadequate" aid is going on in Puerto Rico, for Christ sake, the Hurricane is still some 300 mile from Puerto Rico today and is currently still ACTIVE disaster, how fast do you want them to start? Before the hurricane blown over? LOL...

Just read and laugh at them, that's what I did.

 

[gambit]

...if you put all hurricane disaster casualty happened in the US for the last 30 years, the casualty number is still lower than one single incident happen in Sichuan Earthquake in 2008. And fact to the matter is that 3 of the top 5 deadliest Earthquake happened in China itself speak a lot of volume on how the Chinese conduct their USAR.

So essentially, despite the fact that the earthquake happened on Chinese contiguous soil, the Chinese did not learn much.

And we are supposed to learn from them on how to conduct disaster aid on an island nearly one thousand miles away ?

 

[jhungary]

So essentially, despite the fact that the earthquake happened on Chinese contiguous soil, the Chinese did not learn much.

And we are supposed to learn from them on how to conduct disaster aid on an island nearly one thousand miles away ?

Well, "That's what she said"

 

[TaiShang]

This documentary sheds light on Puerto Rico and may give some insights into its present situation:

America’s Backyard: Puerto Rico

http://presstvdoc.com/Default/Detail/12956

 

[jhungary]

http://clarksvillenow.com/local/101...erto-rico-for-hurricane-maria-relief-efforts/

101st soldiers deploying to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria relief efforts

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Members of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) at Fort Campbell are preparing to head to Puerto Rico to assist those affected by Hurricane Maria.

Division Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell confirmed to ClarksvilleNow that the 101st CAB is currently making preparations to deploy.

O’Donnell said eight HH60 Blackhawk helicopters will be transported to the island to support relief efforts through search and rescue, movement of supplies, and medevac evacuation.

“This is another incident where the 101st shows Americans helping other Americans and just another demonstration of our readiness, our ability to respond at a moment’s notice to help those in need,” Lt. Col. O’Donnell said.

The group, dubbed Team Medevac, consists of more than 70 personnel and eight HH-60 medevac Blackhawk helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT).

A C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft assigned to the 22nd Airlift Squadron, 60th Air Mobility Wing and another assigned to the 68th Airlift Squadron, 433rd Airlift Wing transported the personnel and equipment to José Aponte de la Torre Airport, in Ceiba, a coastal municipality on the northeast of the island.

“We have been called forward and will provide a unique capability with our medevac helicopters,” said Maj. Kurtis P. Evick, Team Medevac commander. “We will help save lives and mitigate suffering, and we will continue to serve the American people of Puerto Rico until we are no longer needed.”

Twenty-second AS and 68th AS Airmen, and 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) Soldiers worked throughout the day, Sept. 26, to load the helicopters onto the aircraft.

Once in Puerto Rico, the Airmen and Soldiers will unload the helicopters. The Soldiers will then place the aircraft into operation and conduct test flights before conducting their first mission.

“What’s happened in Puerto Rico is nothing short of a tragedy, and I am honored to support this relief effort and to help the citizens of our nation,” said 1st. Sgt. Jason C. Straub, Team Medevac senior enlisted leader. “Our Soldiers are trained, our aircraft are prepped and we are ready to go.”

Although the division relocated many of its assets in preparation to support Hurricane Irma relief efforts, this deployment will mark the first instance of hurricane relief in the 101st ABN DIV’s (AASLT) 75-year history.

“The 101st Airborne Division has responded to numerous civil emergencies, but this is the first time we have supported commonwealth and federal officials to provide hurricane relief,” said Lt. Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) spokesperson. “While noteworthy, the occurrence is not unique. For the last 75 years, the division has responded to threats near and far.”

According to the Associated Press, The U.S. has ramped up its response to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, even as President Donald Trump brought up the island’s struggles before Hurricane Maria struck. He tweeted about “billions of dollars” in debt to “Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.”

The Trump administration has tried to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of its efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.

Five days after the Category 4 storm slammed into Puerto Rico, many of the more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the territory were still without adequate food, water and fuel. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.

Filed under: Military, News Tagged With: 101st, 101st cab, hurricane maria, puerto rico

This documentary sheds light on Puerto Rico and may give some insights into its present situation:

America’s Backyard: Puerto Rico

http://presstvdoc.com/Default/Detail/12956

Some BS again. LOL, dude, you sink so low and now quoting Press TV?? And they do shit on referencing the material.

Puerto Rican (The people) is different than Puerto Rico (The Commonwealth) PUERTO RICAN IS US CITIZENS. It enjoy EVERYRIGHT as to an US Citizen born elsewhere. They can vote and they can elect and selected into Congress and the Senate, and likely vote for ANY CANDIDATE in the Commonwealth.

However, Puerto Rico (the commonwealth) was not represented in both US Congress and US Senate, that mean there are no option for Puerto Rico to be a part of Electoral College, however, that does not mean Puerto Rican cannot vote, they can vote, just that they would have to move to Mainland US to vote, which as a US Citizen, they are freely to do so. In fact, Many Puerto Rican vote in FL and NY (where most Puerto Rican reside in CONUS).

Puerto Rican voter surge in Florida is no surprise
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/is-puerto-ricans-movement-to-mainland-swaying-elections/

 

[TaiShang]

Artist, Athletes and Political Movements; Puerto Rican Independence

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

29.09.2017(updated 10:53 29.09.2017)

Sean Blackmon, Eugene Puryear

Trump's tax cuts are not for you; Puerto Rico's colonial relationship with America; and the role of artist in movements.

00:00 / 00:00
On this episode of "By Any Means Necessary" hosts Eugene Puryear and Sean Blackmon are joined by Alexis Goldstein, Co-Host of the podcast Humorless Queers and Courtney Richardson, Esq., LL.M Founder of The Ivy Investor, which focuses on pertinent investment and legal commentary, to talk about Donald Trump's speech in Indiana on tax reform, what the Trump tax plan would mean for the American worker, the ways the tax plan would eliminate even more taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and the electoral ramifications of the new plan. The group also talks about the Trump administration's proposed tax policy that is blatantly favorable for cabinet members, the procedural process for the GOP to pass tax reform, and the nuances and intricacies of the US tax code.

In the third segment Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, President of the National Lawyers Guild joins the show to talk about the US government's response to the environmental disaster in Puerto Rico, the ways in which the US imposes its colonial rule over Puerto Rico, the need to achieve debt relief for Puerto Ricans from Wall Street bankers, why the outdated Jones Act still exists, why Puerto Rico needs independence not US statehood, and the dismal outlook for relief under Donald Trump.

Later in the show hosts Eugene Puryear and Sean Blackmon are joined by musician Anthony E. Nelson Jr., who recently released "Swift to Hear, Slow to Speak," and Erin Shields, organizer extraordinaire with BYP-100, to talk about the role of artists and athletes in political and social movements, Chance the Rapper donating large money to Chicago schools, whether or not artists have lost their political courage, and why it is so jarring when athletes and artists do raise their voice to social injustice. The group also take calls that touch on James Comey's recent convocation speech at Howard University, the role of spiritual music in uplifting movements, and the importance of net neutrality. Check out Anthony E Nelson Jr's music at http://www.anthonyenelsonjrjazz.com.

Today's talking points touch on the detention of pregnant womyn by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the Trump team's tax plan, and murderer Betsy Shelby being hired by the Rogers County Oklahoma Sheriff's department.

We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

***
No wonder Trump does not like Puerto Rico. Feelings must be reciprocal.

 

[jhungary]

https://news.usni.org/2017/09/27/kearsarge-sailors-and-marines-help-start-hurricane-maria

Kearsarge Sailors, Marines Assist With Regular Hurricane Maria Relief Flights to Puerto Rico

Kearsarge Sailors, Marines Assist With Regular Hurricane Maria Relief Flights to Puerto Rico
By: Ben Werner
September 27, 2017 3:44 PM

Vehicles carrying generators and other equipment embark a landing craft utility in the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) for transportation to Puerto Rico on Sept. 26, 2017. US Navy Photo

Marines and sailors from the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group have established a supply and first responder staging base at Roosevelt Roads, the former naval base now operated as Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Puerto Rico.

The amphibious ready group, which includes amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has been providing assistance to the region for nearly a month, as three major hurricanes passed, according to the Navy.

In the wake of Hurricane Maria, sailors and Marines from the Kearsarge ARG has cleared main roads to ease the flow of emergency personnel, food, supplies, and fuel. By setting up Roosevelt Roads as a staging base, Marines and sailors can now facilitate around-the-clock air traffic to bring in supplies, evacuate injured, and even allow limited commercial air traffic, according to U.S. Northern Command. Along with Roosevelt Roads, San Juan International and six other airports in Puerto Rico are either fully open or open with restrictions such as daylight operations only.

US citizens board a US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to Joint Task Force – Leeward Islands (JTF-LI) at Douglas-Charles Airport in Dominica on Sept. 24, 2017. US Marine Corps Photo

Wednesday, U.S. Transportation Command was expected to send 16 flights of food, water, communications equipment, and federal disaster relief workers. With Roosevelt Roads operational, Northern Command estimates 10 flights per hour will begin landing in Puerto Rico.

Marines are also transporting assisting civilian medical officials by helicopter as federal agencies assess the status of Puerto Rico’s hospitals, according to Northern Command. As of Wednesday, only 11 of Puerto Rico’s 69 hospitals had fuel or power. Two of the largest, the Centro Medico Hospital in San Juan and San Pablo Hospital in Bayamon, had power restored.

Construction Electrician 3rd Class Joshua Reding, assigned to Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202, inspects a generator at the Metropolitano De La Montana Hospital in Puerto Rico on Sept. 26 2017. US Navy Photo

In general, the lights are coming back on slowly in Puerto Rico. Northern Command reported the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’ generators were operational, but the problem was 80 percent of the transmission system and 100 percent of the distribution system were damaged by Maria. Currently, approximately 44 percent of Puerto Rico’s population is without drinking water.

Meanwhile, USS Wasp (LHD-1), which has been providing disaster relief to the region since arriving at the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 7 in the wake of Hurricane Irma, is now providing disaster relief to the island of Dominica, at the request of the U.S. Department of State. Marines and sailors from Wasp are conducting search and rescue operations and evacuating U.S. citizens. Wasp also delivered 2,000 pounds of food to Ross Medical University on Dominica.

@Hamartia Antidote @F-22Raptor Come look at these crown LOL....

 

[jhungary]

https://www.stripes.com/news/milita...ia-struck-puerto-rico-virgin-islands-1.489496

Military conducting multiple operations to help Hurricane Maria-struck Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

WASHINGTON – The Defense Department has dispatched about 2,600 troops to aid Hurricane Maria victims in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in Puerto Rico, where access to power and communications remained severely limited five days after the Category 4 storm struck the U.S. territory.

The military has focused primarily on conducting search and rescue operations, delivering life-sustaining supplies and providing generators and fuel to power critical infrastructure such as water treatment facilities and hospitals, Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said Monday.

Military units were also conducting route and airfield clearance in Puerto Rico, Manning said. Marines and sailors from the USS Kearsarge, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship now in the Caribbean Sea, were deployed Sunday on the island for the mission. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico National Guard members were conducting similar clearance operations while also helping evacuate victims and installing temporary communications infrastructure.

article continues below

Helicopter-borne troops from the Kearsarge have conducted eight medical evacuation missions this week and delivered about 22,200 pounds of supplies and cargo to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Manning said. The Kearsarge was initially deployed to respond to Hurricane Harvey when the storm struck the Texas coast in late August. The ship has since been used to respond to Hurricane Irma and Maria.

The Pentagon on Monday also deployed eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Fort Campbell in Kentucky to San Juan to help officials in Puerto Rico distribute goods across the island, Manning said. Officials have estimated it will be months before power is restored to some parts of the island that is home to 3.4 million people.

Army Corps of Engineers personnel on Monday were helping inspect the Guajataca Dam, a critical levee in Puerto Rico’s northwest corner that is in danger of breaking, Manning said. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Friday ordered 70,000 inhabitants near the dam to evacuate.

The military has pledged to provide as much help as the federal government asks of it in response to Maria and the two earlier storms that ravaged parts of Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Caribbean.

Thousands of U.S. troops remain committed to operations in Texas and Florida in response to Harvey and Irma, but the relief efforts have not stretched the Pentagon too thin, Manning said Monday.

“We have the capability to do exactly what we’re doing, and we’re going to do all we can for the people of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in the wake of these disastrous storms,” he said. “This is a long-term effort. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and [the Defense Department] will continue to support them as long as support is needed.”

CDicksteinDC

 

[jhungary]

http://www.wcax.com/content/news/US-military-beefs-up-relief-efforts-in-Puerto-Rico-448554593.html

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CBS) Eight days after Hurricane Maria flattened much of Puerto Rico, basic resources like food, water, fuel and medicine are increasingly hard to find and residents are desperate for supplies.

Thursday morning, under pressure from Congress, the Trump Administration moved to waive restrictions on foreign ships to allow deliveries from U.S. ports into Puerto Rico. Lawmakers say he was too slow to act and called for more.

The U.S. military is also helping. The nerve center for the military's humanitarian effort in Puerto Rico is floating just a few miles offshore. Sailors and Marines from the USS Kearsarge were on the island the morning after Maria hit.

"What we want to do is make sure that we can get large bulk commodities and responders and relief supplies in through those airports as well as through seaports," said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Jeffrey Hughes, who is in charge of the mission.

No longer are they doing search and rescues missions they are now in relief mode, delivering vital supplies, generators, food, water, even tarps so people can try to get their lives back to normal.

But getting back to normal won't be easy. During a flight over the northeastern part of the island, we got a firsthand look at the damage and it's extensive. From the air, there were no relief crews in sight.

Petty Ofc. Rafael Reyes is part of the relief effort, but this mission is harder for the Puerto Rico native.

"Obviously, I am in the military so I have to stay headstrong, I have to stay in the game. I do reflect on my family that is on the island. There is no way that I couldn't. But I have faith," Reyes said.

Boats, planes and helicopters are constantly coming and going from the Kearsarge, working nonstop as new supplies come in.

"We are prepared to be here for as long as it takes to get the job done," Hughes said. "It's a noble mission and we're very happy to be here doing it."

More help is coming by land and by sea-- 4,000 soldiers and Army Corps engineers have arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Navy is also sending their floating hospital, the Comfort, which should arrive next week.

 

[jhungary]

Hurricane Maria 'probably the single biggest hurricane catastrophe in the history of the US,' Puerto Rico governor says

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-...cane-catastrophe-history-us/story?id=50138345

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Wednesday that Hurricane Maria is "probably the single biggest hurricane catastrophe in the history of the U.S.”

Maria battered the island after it made landfall as a powerful category 4 storm last week, leaving residents there with dwindling supplies of drinking water and without power and cellphone service.

Rosselló continued his calls for action from Congress in the wake of the hurricane while speaking from Camp Santiago on the Puerto Rico National Guard base in the hard-hit town of Salinas Wednesday afternoon, adding that funds from the Puerto Rican government are running low.

"This is without a doubt a catastrophe, and it needs to be treated as such," he said.

Rosselló insisted that Puerto Rico's government is doing everything it can to spread the food, fuel and supplies it has received. The biggest challenge on the ground has been logistics, he said, adding that the government needs to ensure that resources are being delivered to those who need it.

U.S. Navy/Getty Images
Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Teams arrive to assist in relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Maria in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Sept. 24, 2017. more +


After arriving on the base in a Black Hawk military helicopter, Rosselló delivered a satellite phone to Salinas Mayor Karilyn Bonilla. Maria decimated the town, destroying about 80 percent of wooden structures.

Only 4 percent of the island currently has electricity, most of which is concentrated around hospitals, said the executive director of the Electrical Energy Authority.

About 80 percent of telecommunications are still down, and just over half of the island has potable water, Rosselló said.

Rosselló said that the economy on the island will be "stale" for the next month.

"We need to assume there is no economy in Puerto Rico right now," he said.

A temporary improvement has been made to the Guajataca Dam, which was in danger of collapsing, after two engineers inspected the dam, Rosselló said.

Carlos Giusti/AP
Residents wade through a flooded area in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Catano, Puerto Rico, Sept. 27, 2017.




San Juan mayor says people are 'gasping for air' as Maria cripples Puerto Rico




Ways to help relief efforts for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico




Trump to visit hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, says he is 'very proud' of 'amazing' response


For the first time in a disaster relief situation, the Red Cross has set up a mobile command center on the island that contains a public hotspot people can use to contact try and contact their families. The Red Cross set up a satellite dish and charging stations in the town of Vega Alta, and satellite phones are being provided to those who have trouble connecting.

The mobile hotspot will be traveling all over the island until the Red Cross feels it is no longer needed.

"I want to let those family members know that we will not stop until we can have you communicate with your family on the mainland," Rosselló said when asked by ABC News what he would tell to Puerto Ricans who have not heard from their families in more than a week.

Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
View of furniture near damaged houses in Punta Cabeza, Puerto Rico, Sept.27, 2017, one week after the passage of Hurricane Maria.more +


Rosselló said he can relate to the anxiety felt by those residents after he himself was not able to talk to his family in Puerto Rico for two days after the storm hit.

"Believe me ... the government, the mayors, our whole government is working tirelessly so that we can make sure your loved ones are safe.

By Thursday, FEMA and government emergency workers will have reached every town in Puerto Rico, Rosselló said.

ABC News' Eva Pilgrim contributed to this report.

 

[Pyr0test]

Murican president attacks the mayor, stay classy folks

https://twitter.com/x/status/914087234869047296