What's REALLY Happening -- or Not Happening -- in Puerto Rico??? (Hint: We don't know...)

a reply to: xuenchen

Big problem any way they look at it.

That's true under the best of circumstances, where everyone involved is cooperating and giving their all to the cause. Difficult to say the least. And that's not what we have here. Thus, making it virtually impossible -- at least not without drastic measures.

originally posted by: Krakatoa
And before all that you need to have reliable island wide communications established. Most of the cell towers were downed in the storm. So, we would need a way to create temporary cell service, island wide. I wonder if hovering drones could be used to create those cell repeaters overhead. That would allow the relief effort better ability to communicate and also allow more people on the ground to call in for help and describe their areas.

Don't forget the batteries.

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: Krakatoa
And before all that you need to have reliable island wide communications established. Most of the cell towers were downed in the storm. So, we would need a way to create temporary cell service, island wide. I wonder if hovering drones could be used to create those cell repeaters overhead. That would allow the relief effort better ability to communicate and also allow more people on the ground to call in for help and describe their areas.

Don't forget the batteries.

The U.S. military have recon drones that can hover over a target for days. Those are the drones I am referring to, not the kind you can buy in Walmart and fly for 20 minutes at a time.

SMH

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: Boadicea

I actually think the people would not cause a problem for the military since they know they are there to help, the problem is getting the PR govt to say please lets do this so folks get help.

I agree. I was thinking more about gangs and such, but at this point, people are in survival mode. Even without intending any harm, just trying to save themselves, there could be problems.

I do not want Trump to make a unilateral decision to do so, bad precedent in my opinion.

Yes, I totally agree. What's that saying? Something about laws passed in dire circumstances make for bad laws... Not exactly the same thing, but precedents are precedents.

When some are acting badly, it's that much more important for everyone else to watch their P's and Q's and do the right thing.

a reply to: Krakatoa

Batteries for the cell phones was what I was talking about.

Service towers don't transmit power.

Here's an interesting story........

All roads were open, and supplies were being delivered to all points of the island until communists tied to Hillary Clinton ordered the truckers to stop moving

Hmmmm

The US military needs to step in and take control. My 2 nephews were in Haiti during all the chaos and the local politicians created all kinds of problems till the Army told them to get the chuck outta the way or ?? They laughed at the Army till they got locked up off the island.

a reply to: xuenchen

Quite interesting -- thank you!

I'm wondering now if there is any way to independently confirm the roads being cleared. I think I shall ask ZombieZygote if he's heard anything about the roads in his/her thread.

But I gotta confess that I couldn't help but smile at this --

You have to wade through a mountain of disinfo to find the truth. It is not easy, the effort to lie about Puerto Rico is well funded and very potent.

-- and wonder if that isn't exactly what the author is doing!

Hillary isn't the only one with direct connections to Puerto Rican communists and other bad characters.

Obama Commutes Sentence of F.A.L.N. Member Oscar Lopez Rivera

And the good mayor of San Juan was not only quite happy about it --

San Juan Mayor Praised FALN Terrorist

-- she also offered him a job!

She also took heat for offering a job to Puerto Rican independence militant Oscar Lopez Rivera, whose prison sentence was commuted in January by then-President Barack Obama. Rivera was released from prison in May after serving 35 years for his involvement with a group that claimed more than 100 bombings in the 1970s and '80s that killed or maimed dozens on the U.S. mainland.

San Juan mayor in hurricane spotlight after Trump tweets

Funny that the author at the link didn't think it important to include Obama's very recent and relevant connection.

originally posted by: mikell
The US military needs to step in and take control. My 2 nephews were in Haiti during all the chaos and the local politicians created all kinds of problems till the Army told them to get the chuck outta the way or ?? They laughed at the Army till they got locked up off the island.

I expect that's what will happen... and I also suspect that those who want to blame Trump for everything are counting on it and will hold it against him claiming that the big guns were sent in to intimidate, bully and overpower the local officials.

OK just got a Facebook from a friend in PR. Things are going as well as could be hoped for. Roads are open except the ones that need major repair. The Feds have been great just local problems. Gas food and water here but difficult at times.

Just mine to add from a friend who's brother is a minister there

Puerto Rican CEO: Local government 'corrupt' and 'totally inexperienced' in Maria cleanup

The head of an international engineering firm in Puerto Rico said in an editorial Saturday that when the time came to send 50 of his engineers to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, he bypassed local officials and went straight to FEMA.

The reason, said Jorge Rodriguez, the CEO of PACIV, in an editorial in the New York Post, is that “for the last 30 years, the Puerto Rican government has been completely inept at handling regular societal needs, so I just don’t see it functioning in a crisis like this one.”

“Even before the hurricane hit, water and power systems were already broken. And our $118 billion debt crisis is a result of government corruption and mismanagement.”

with regard to the trucking crisis, it also involves fuel transport being blocked.....

“For instance, shortly after the hurricane hit, the government imposed a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am and then changed it,” Rodriguez said. “Now, it’s 7 pm to 5 am, and makes no sense. The curfew has prevented fuel trucks from transporting their loads.

“These trucks should have been allowed to run for 24 hours to address our needs, but they have been stalled, and so we have massive lines at gas stations and severe shortages of diesel at our hospitals and supermarkets.”

Sounds more and more like the presidents statement that the leaders of PR (i.e. government representatives) are indeed inept and looking for others to do the work for them. They were elected representatives, do the job you are being paid for and care for your constituents!

But, they have asked for help you say, sure....but not in ways you think they did.

Rodriguez also had a word of caution for the U.S. Congress: “Watch out what relief funds you approve and let our local government handle. Don’t let the Puerto Rican government play the victim and fool you. They have no clue what they are doing, and I worry that they will mishandle anything that comes their way.”

originally posted by: mikell
OK just got a Facebook from a friend in PR. Things are going as well as could be hoped for. Roads are open except the ones that need major repair. The Feds have been great just local problems. Gas food and water here but difficult at times.

Just mine to add from a friend who's brother is a minister there

Thank you -- much appreciated! And good news indeed!!! I am so happy to hear that. The distribution of aid may not be happening yet, but it's good to know that it is possible, and will happen... hoping and praying that it's sooner rather than later though.

a reply to: Krakatoa

Thank you for posting the update! Kind of a mix of good news and bad, eh?

Sounds more and more like the presidents statement that the leaders of PR (i.e. government representatives) are indeed inept and looking for others to do the work for them. They were elected representatives, do the job you are being paid for and care for your constituents!

That's exactly what it sounds like. No wonder the MSM was working doubletime to make the public think Trump was calling the people of Puerto Rico lazy and demanding, rather than that Trump was calling the so-called leaders corrupt and/or inept.

ETA: Your link is consistent with this that I found earlier: Puerto Rico's debt-plagued power grid was on life support long before hurricanes wiped it out

Here is a bit o an uplifting story from the devastation in PR.
With long lines for food, water and fuel and no electricity, Puerto Ricans help each other

NARANJITO, Puerto Rico — Just 20 miles from the capital of San Juan, residents here are still marooned after Hurricane Maria destroyed the once-lush landscape more than a week ago, but people are finding ways to help each other.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Puerto Rican National Guard are working to deliver food and water to hard-to-access places, to set up telecommunications in municipal centers and to deliver supplies to hospitals, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said.

In the town, where homes painted green, blue, purple and white, dot the steep hillside among serpentine roads, Michelle Narvaez, 40, had just returned from grocery shopping. That entailed waiting in line for more than an hour and paying twice the usual price. “When I cook, I cook a lot, but I can’t keep it because there’s no electricity,” Narvaez said in Spanish. So she buys what she’s going to cook each day and feeds her neighbors, like Marta Rodriguez, 54, who sat on a nearby stoop.

The PEOPLE of PR are doing what needs to be done to help each other. If only their elected representatives could claim the same thing, this would be less of a humanitarian crisis.

a reply to: Krakatoa

That is indeed quite heartening and uplifting. At its best -- and I believe that includes most of us -- the human spirit is a thing of wonder and awe. Love is a verb and these folks are proving that, opening their hearts and homes and kitchens to others. Bless them one and all.

Thank you -- I needed that!

Another local story regarding the restoration of power on the island. This is a local Spanish news outlet, but with the help of Google Translate, I'll post a few snippets here in English for those that cannot read Spanish.
The ESA will need support from the federal government and private companies

After expressing " satisfaction " with the 5% recovery of the service achieved until today, the executive director of the Electric Energy Authority (AEE), Ricardo Ramos , indicated that the lifting of the transmission and distribution network, devastated by Hurricane Maria , will not be possible without the support of the federal government and private companies.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be the main ally of the ESA in the restoration of the electrical system. Their work will be divided into four phases, to be implemented simultaneously.

The first of these phases is the installation of " temporary " generators in places such as hospitals, wastewater treatment plants and aegis, among others. The intention, explained Ramos, is that they can energize and offer services while repairing the lines of the ESA that serve them regularly.

On the second phase, he said that it consists of the installation of " bigger " generators, which would even function as small generating units. Although the power stations of the EEA " did not suffer so much damage " with the hurricane, it is practically impossible to transmit and distribute its production for the damages that the lines did, especially those that run from south to north.

In the third and fourth phase, in addition to the USACE, private contractors - local and foreign - will be recruited to repair the transmission and distribution lines. " We're going to be three teams at a time, " he said.

Good to know the USACE are there not only to help rebuild the electrical grid but also to put in temporary bridges in places where they washed out. I'm sure they are also inspecting and attempting to shore up any existing dams in the area as well, to prevent them from breaking and flooding the towns downstream.

more interesting political points ..........

For the record… Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has refused to visit the FEMA headquarters after several invitations and is not participating in ANY FEMA meetings.
Wow!

Where is Travolta and his airplane these days ?

hmmm, not popular enough

a reply to: Krakatoa

Thank you again!

It's really daunting how much planning and coordination goes into these efforts. I don't know how they do it. But I'm so very thankful for these people who can do this -- and do.

a reply to: xuenchen

She's a real piece of work that mayor... and whoever she's working with/for.

Thanks again!