WEBVTT 00:01.723 --> 00:03.606 - Good morning everybody. 00:03.606 --> 00:05.916 Good morning to all the members of the press. 00:05.916 --> 00:07.949 Thank you again for being here 00:07.949 --> 00:10.637 and for helping us communicate what's going on 00:10.637 --> 00:11.887 in Puerto Rico. 00:12.326 --> 00:16.326 As is our tradition, we will give you an update. 00:16.518 --> 00:19.110 But also today, we want to stress 00:19.110 --> 00:23.277 the unity and purpose that the federal government, 00:24.089 --> 00:27.413 DoD, the local government, municipalities 00:27.413 --> 00:30.517 are establishing so that we can get results 00:30.517 --> 00:32.885 for the people of Puerto Rico. 00:32.885 --> 00:34.295 I'm not only giving you an update, 00:34.295 --> 00:35.974 not only giving you the data points 00:35.974 --> 00:37.681 that we will be uploading 00:37.681 --> 00:41.348 in estados.pr.gov, but also letting you know 00:43.217 --> 00:46.544 how the logistics and how the collaboration 00:46.544 --> 00:50.711 is pushing forward between all of these competencies 00:51.204 --> 00:54.685 and how that collaboration provokes better results 00:54.685 --> 00:57.185 for the people of Puerto Rico. 00:58.855 --> 01:00.536 I want to stress that for all of those 01:00.536 --> 01:03.536 that want to collaborate and donate, 01:03.876 --> 01:07.043 you can go to unidosporpuertorico.com. 01:08.050 --> 01:12.217 Also, you can call our 800 number at 202-800-3134. 01:16.673 --> 01:19.499 I want to reiterate that the prohibition 01:19.499 --> 01:23.332 on selling alcohol is over and that the curfew 01:23.830 --> 01:26.413 has been upped up til 9:00 p.m. 01:27.631 --> 01:31.798 And lastly, want to state that our Housing Department 01:33.083 --> 01:35.045 that gave the moratorium of the payment 01:35.045 --> 01:39.212 of the rent of public housing up until January of 2018. 01:41.751 --> 01:45.001 Gives some flexibility of the payments, 01:45.417 --> 01:48.129 liberating a little bit of the stress 01:48.129 --> 01:50.546 on the people of Puerto Rico. 01:50.761 --> 01:54.295 Want to remind everybody that our priorities 01:54.295 --> 01:57.795 at this juncture keep being food delivery, 01:58.645 --> 02:02.812 delivery of gas, making sure that the hospitals are working, 02:02.876 --> 02:05.666 making sure we can get more hospitals online 02:05.666 --> 02:09.499 and that they get their diesel and their fuel. 02:10.297 --> 02:14.464 Establishing as best a mechanism for robust communication 02:14.514 --> 02:17.514 whether it be telecoms or otherwise. 02:17.590 --> 02:20.269 And the air traffic control so that we can get 02:20.269 --> 02:22.936 more assets here in Puerto Rico. 02:23.531 --> 02:27.683 We'll be talking a little bit about the gas situation. 02:27.683 --> 02:30.792 We have been upping the number of gas operations 02:30.792 --> 02:33.459 that have opened in Puerto Rico. 02:33.575 --> 02:36.365 That has alleviated some of the stress. 02:36.365 --> 02:38.986 To give you a perspective, four days ago 02:38.986 --> 02:42.819 we had 450 gas stations open, now we have 714. 02:46.140 --> 02:49.412 That's somewhat over 50% of the gas stations 02:49.412 --> 02:51.445 that we have in Puerto Rico already operating 02:51.445 --> 02:54.778 and are receiving fuel at this juncture. 02:55.104 --> 02:58.414 So our expectation here is to continue identifying 02:58.414 --> 03:00.495 those gas stations that can operate. 03:00.495 --> 03:04.495 Those operators at the onset of this catastrophe 03:05.364 --> 03:09.287 were not found, so they can operate appropriately, 03:09.287 --> 03:13.424 they can get fuel in an organized logistical matter 03:13.424 --> 03:16.674 and they can have appropriate security. 03:17.475 --> 03:21.555 At the same time, we informed that the reservoirs 03:21.555 --> 03:23.638 of diesel have increased. 03:24.280 --> 03:26.947 We're almost to 600,000 barrels. 03:30.631 --> 03:34.381 In gasoline we're at 722,000 barrels as well. 03:36.324 --> 03:39.991 And we will be receiving, through the ports, 03:41.113 --> 03:44.696 more fuel disbursement starting October 1st 03:47.082 --> 03:49.332 all the way to October 7th. 03:49.460 --> 03:52.877 We're going to have about eight of these. 03:54.115 --> 03:57.248 We want to notify the people of Puerto Rico 03:57.248 --> 04:00.656 and everybody, that we have supplied directly 04:00.656 --> 04:04.623 to the municipalities through our general services account, 04:04.623 --> 04:08.373 16 municipalities, we will post them as well. 04:08.981 --> 04:13.030 They include Loiza, San Juan, Catano, Manati, Canovanas 04:13.030 --> 04:15.528 and others that have been signing those contracts 04:15.528 --> 04:19.407 and can get fuel directly from the general services 04:19.407 --> 04:21.657 juncture of the government. 04:22.803 --> 04:26.720 FEMA has been working extra hard on this effort 04:26.995 --> 04:30.745 and particularly on the distribution of food. 04:31.721 --> 04:35.888 We have 11 original staging areas that have been receiving 04:37.193 --> 04:40.360 food and water all across Puerto Rico. 04:40.490 --> 04:43.407 In addition to that, FEMA has taken 04:44.683 --> 04:47.296 several other missions so that we can go 04:47.296 --> 04:50.713 to direct municipalities where the roads, 04:52.566 --> 04:55.881 although are accessible, are hard to reach. 04:55.881 --> 04:58.745 There has been consideration towards that effort. 04:58.745 --> 05:00.295 I want to let you know, that the government 05:00.295 --> 05:04.446 is also working in conjunction and collaboration with FEMA. 05:04.446 --> 05:08.613 Our housing department, the Office of the First Lady, 05:08.671 --> 05:12.088 family departments are also doing efforts 05:14.326 --> 05:17.832 to distribute food and water in different areas. 05:17.832 --> 05:19.658 In Puerto Rico we are coordinating 05:19.658 --> 05:22.694 all of the logistics with FEMA so we can make sure 05:22.694 --> 05:25.861 that they arrive at their destination. 05:28.554 --> 05:31.800 In terms of telecoms in general and communications, 05:31.800 --> 05:35.222 the police have reestablished communication 05:35.222 --> 05:37.511 through radio in San Juan, Bayamon, 05:37.511 --> 05:40.678 Carolina and Caguas at their stations. 05:43.017 --> 05:45.934 It'll help us work with other areas 05:47.176 --> 05:51.343 and distribute information by enhancing this network. 05:52.372 --> 05:56.122 We have also established SAT C.O.W.s in Ponce 05:57.603 --> 06:01.520 and now in Arecibo , which augments the stretch 06:01.914 --> 06:06.081 to about 200,000 more clients than what we had yesterday. 06:07.966 --> 06:11.466 Our expectation here is that for next week 06:12.070 --> 06:15.672 we're going to have SAT C.O.W.s in different places 06:15.672 --> 06:19.339 such as Fajardo, Rio Grande, Yauco and Cidra 06:19.350 --> 06:22.383 making sure that the different regions in Puerto Rico 06:22.383 --> 06:25.133 can have access to that telecoms. 06:25.945 --> 06:28.278 We have lifted 163 antennas. 06:30.236 --> 06:33.893 Yesterday we only had 96, so you can see the effort 06:33.893 --> 06:37.310 and in conjunction with the DoD and FEMA, 06:37.495 --> 06:40.415 to get to these places in the private sector 06:40.415 --> 06:41.248 and start fixing them 06:41.248 --> 06:44.498 and getting the telecoms working again. 06:47.036 --> 06:51.203 We have 100% of landline telephones working now. 06:52.168 --> 06:55.085 This is another significant effort, 06:55.753 --> 06:58.025 although we still don't have 06:58.025 --> 07:02.192 the robust telecoms network, we're only at 33%. 07:03.316 --> 07:05.562 Certainly having landlines is helpful 07:05.562 --> 07:09.729 to establish more robust communication across the island. 07:10.887 --> 07:13.477 In terms of people that are sheltered, 07:13.477 --> 07:14.732 the number has gone down. 07:14.732 --> 07:16.482 Now we are at 10,000. 07:17.491 --> 07:21.074 As a reminder, we had an estimate of 15,000 07:21.265 --> 07:22.682 about a week ago. 07:23.086 --> 07:25.378 It's been going down, we had 500 shelters, 07:25.378 --> 07:29.045 now it's consolidated to 150, so the efforts 07:29.256 --> 07:32.839 are moving forward in that respect as well. 07:33.813 --> 07:37.980 Today we expect 35 flights an hour from the main airport. 07:41.938 --> 07:45.137 Yesterday it was 31, so again, enhancing 07:45.137 --> 07:48.470 the number of flights is a critical part 07:49.320 --> 07:53.269 of this operation to get the logistics personnel 07:53.269 --> 07:55.370 over here in Puerto Rico and that is 07:55.370 --> 07:57.848 increasing our expectation here 07:57.848 --> 08:00.910 that by this week we will have 60 flights, 08:00.910 --> 08:03.410 so about doubling that effort. 08:04.894 --> 08:06.983 I want to talk a little bit about, 08:06.983 --> 08:09.465 stress on the collaboration again, 08:09.465 --> 08:12.693 talk about it in one of our priorities, hospitals. 08:12.693 --> 08:15.542 So with hospitals, we have had personnel 08:15.542 --> 08:19.709 from our Department of Health in all of the hospitals 08:20.275 --> 08:23.336 and doing runs, making sure that the infrastructure 08:23.336 --> 08:26.545 is safe and robust and getting us information 08:26.545 --> 08:28.962 about how things are working. 08:29.603 --> 08:32.184 We've had FEMA working diligently 08:32.184 --> 08:36.351 on a diesel distribution line, so that we can have 08:36.460 --> 08:38.529 all the hospitals that are online 08:38.529 --> 08:40.612 safe, working with energy 08:41.467 --> 08:45.634 and that the operations are not hampered by lack of these. 08:46.851 --> 08:49.684 They have done so excessively well 08:49.924 --> 08:52.507 and by the same token, the DoD, 08:55.547 --> 08:58.630 the military forces are collaborating 08:59.120 --> 09:01.620 extensively over here with HHS 09:03.864 --> 09:05.864 bringing the med forces. 09:06.835 --> 09:09.820 They have called upon the U.S.S. Comfort 09:09.820 --> 09:11.667 to come to Puerto Rico, which will offer 09:11.667 --> 09:15.834 an additional 1,000, staff and patient wherewithal . 09:18.178 --> 09:20.133 This is one of those areas, again 09:20.133 --> 09:23.550 where you see the collaboration logistics 09:23.688 --> 09:25.834 between all of the parties 09:25.834 --> 09:28.334 is bringing in more resources. 09:28.479 --> 09:31.896 More so than that, we informed that today 09:32.291 --> 09:34.458 we have 51 hospitals open. 09:36.006 --> 09:38.756 Depends on your metric, 51 or 53, 09:39.270 --> 09:41.853 some of those are same hospital 09:41.952 --> 09:44.451 that are divided into two clusters. 09:44.451 --> 09:47.920 Between 51 and 53, depending on how you measure, 09:47.920 --> 09:51.503 of the 69 hospitals are open and are within 09:53.616 --> 09:57.283 the context of the diesel distribution line. 09:58.247 --> 10:00.492 Two of these hospitals have been energized, 10:00.492 --> 10:02.569 so now we're up to nine hospitals 10:02.569 --> 10:05.319 that are being served with energy 10:05.721 --> 10:09.591 of the stations that have been energized in Puerto Rico. 10:09.591 --> 10:12.424 By the same token, we've increased 10:12.967 --> 10:16.803 the number of dialysis centers that has been served. 10:16.803 --> 10:18.116 We're gonna get that list again. 10:18.116 --> 10:20.783 It's gonna be on estados.pr.gov, 10:21.389 --> 10:25.556 but we've increased it from 34 yesterday, up to 46 today. 10:26.375 --> 10:30.334 We also report that there have been four freezers 10:30.334 --> 10:32.051 for forensics efforts, that have been 10:32.051 --> 10:33.456 brought on to Puerto Rico. 10:33.456 --> 10:37.623 Although it has been established by different meetings 10:39.053 --> 10:43.220 between HHS and our department and the federal government 10:43.995 --> 10:47.229 that in fact there is no crisis or emergency 10:47.229 --> 10:50.474 in terms of dealing with cadavers, at this juncture. 10:50.474 --> 10:52.428 But we still have those four freezers 10:52.428 --> 10:54.410 that were brought in in order to 10:54.410 --> 10:57.910 support our Institute of Forensic Science. 10:59.059 --> 11:01.291 In terms of security, we're happy to report 11:01.291 --> 11:05.208 that some of the EMACs are starting to flow in. 11:07.454 --> 11:11.121 We got support from the NYPD yesterday, that 11:12.108 --> 11:12.941 was here. 11:13.124 --> 11:16.008 And we're getting support, early this morning, 11:16.008 --> 11:18.341 from the DRC, state troopers 11:19.103 --> 11:23.103 and National Guard as well, have come over here. 11:23.562 --> 11:26.312 We expect that about 210 soldiers 11:27.641 --> 11:29.561 from the Puerto Rico National Guard 11:29.561 --> 11:33.108 will be assisting the police, here in Puerto Rico. 11:33.108 --> 11:36.932 Noting again that collaboration and that effort. 11:36.932 --> 11:38.502 And our expectation is that over the weekend 11:38.502 --> 11:40.502 we'll get about 300 more 11:40.515 --> 11:44.015 of these actives over here in Puerto Rico. 11:45.176 --> 11:47.482 I should say that there are firefighters as well 11:47.482 --> 11:51.649 in New York they have been collaborating with Puerto Rico. 11:53.502 --> 11:57.669 And there are 879 effectives from different national guards 11:59.502 --> 12:03.335 that are here in Puerto Rico, from states like 12:03.808 --> 12:05.600 Alabama, Kentucky and others 12:05.600 --> 12:09.128 which we have solicited EMACs collaboration. 12:09.128 --> 12:13.295 In terms of water and sewage, another clear example 12:13.771 --> 12:17.475 of collaboration with the federal government, 12:17.475 --> 12:20.392 FEMA, DoD and the local government. 12:21.127 --> 12:24.210 Our local aqueducts and sewer company 12:26.908 --> 12:29.358 is making sure that we have all of the assets 12:29.358 --> 12:33.008 in the stations, so they can identify the needs 12:33.008 --> 12:36.425 and work on repairs and establish service 12:37.851 --> 12:39.768 as quickly as possible. 12:41.170 --> 12:44.753 FEMA has been working on getting generators 12:44.770 --> 12:47.311 to some of these locations so that we can 12:47.311 --> 12:51.478 activate more water access and we can also work with 12:51.946 --> 12:55.946 the sewage component, which not handled properly 12:56.318 --> 12:59.818 could become a problem in the near future. 13:00.161 --> 13:04.328 And the DoD, under the leadership of General Buchanan 13:07.604 --> 13:10.937 have worked on taking over the logistics 13:12.071 --> 13:15.381 of the distribution of peaceful and the maintenance 13:15.381 --> 13:18.252 of some of these generators, so that we can liberate 13:18.252 --> 13:22.335 some of the pressing needs that other service men 13:23.881 --> 13:26.881 from the aqueducts corporation have. 13:27.335 --> 13:30.268 So this is another prime example of collaboration 13:30.268 --> 13:33.935 within all of the components of this effort. 13:34.409 --> 13:35.242 Energy. 13:35.707 --> 13:39.207 Yesterday we were able to establish energy 13:39.234 --> 13:42.817 to the Doctors Hospital, Luis Llores Torres 13:42.954 --> 13:46.954 housing facility, the Banco Popular in Monterey, 13:48.892 --> 13:52.975 the convention center, the Crown leased terminal, 13:53.033 --> 13:57.200 Walmart, (foreign language), Costco in Los Futros 14:04.199 --> 14:06.449 and the San Jorge Hospital. 14:07.423 --> 14:10.719 Right now, again, nine hospitals are powered, 14:10.719 --> 14:14.886 which allows us to get them off the diesel distribution line 14:15.488 --> 14:19.155 and allows us to serve more efforts as well. 14:22.315 --> 14:25.514 Lastly I would like to say that there's also 14:25.514 --> 14:29.445 an effort going for the rebuilding and reconstruction 14:29.445 --> 14:33.612 that establishes the collaboration of all of our components. 14:33.921 --> 14:35.673 Of course, many people have left their houses 14:35.673 --> 14:39.840 and have lost their roof, but FEMA is bringing in tarps, 14:40.883 --> 14:44.842 so that we can start addressing those immediate needs. 14:44.842 --> 14:47.033 The Corps of Engineers is here to 14:47.033 --> 14:51.200 help us install those tarps and our local government 14:53.348 --> 14:57.515 is working so that we can assess those limitations, 14:58.814 --> 15:00.777 make sure the information gets here 15:00.777 --> 15:03.944 and then we can serve our people best. 15:04.818 --> 15:07.069 FEMA is receiving, today, a shipment 15:07.069 --> 15:11.008 that will have significant amounts of water and food. 15:11.008 --> 15:14.628 They will be distributed as soon as it gets from the port 15:14.628 --> 15:17.238 to the 11 regional staging areas, 15:17.238 --> 15:20.096 so that all of the people, the mayors 15:20.096 --> 15:22.814 and the surrounding municipalities can have access 15:22.814 --> 15:24.314 to water and food. 15:24.509 --> 15:27.433 And we will also be conducting the effort 15:27.433 --> 15:30.751 that we mentioned yesterday, where we'll be taking 15:30.751 --> 15:33.462 some of the food that has been in the docks, 15:33.462 --> 15:36.022 the government is gonna take them, is gonna buy them 15:36.022 --> 15:39.006 and we're gonna distribute them across Puerto Rico, 15:39.006 --> 15:41.882 in collaboration, again in conjunction with 15:41.882 --> 15:44.995 the logistics that have been established. 15:44.995 --> 15:48.245 So those are some of the basic updates, 15:49.935 --> 15:52.233 some of the expectations that we have. 15:52.233 --> 15:54.417 As you see progress is being made, 15:54.417 --> 15:55.933 but we need to make more progress 15:55.933 --> 15:58.256 and we're confident that with the collaboration 15:58.256 --> 16:00.789 with the federal government, the help 16:00.789 --> 16:04.622 that the administration has given Puerto Rico, 16:05.366 --> 16:08.866 continued communication, continued support 16:09.420 --> 16:11.583 we will get out of this emergency phase 16:11.583 --> 16:14.500 and start on the rebuilding process 16:14.856 --> 16:16.537 of a stronger Puerto Rico. 16:16.537 --> 16:19.023 I would like Regional Director of FEMA, 16:19.023 --> 16:22.023 John Rabin, to also say a few words. 16:24.957 --> 16:25.904 - Thank you Governor. 16:25.904 --> 16:26.904 Beunos dias. 16:27.072 --> 16:30.072 I am John Rabin, I am the acting Regional Administrator 16:30.072 --> 16:32.832 of FEMA Region 2, for New York, New Jersey, 16:32.832 --> 16:35.165 Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 16:35.165 --> 16:37.198 You got a great update this morning from the governor 16:37.198 --> 16:39.156 and it talked about that effort 16:39.156 --> 16:42.798 that everybody is here in support of Puerto Rico 16:42.798 --> 16:45.982 and our fellow citizens that live here in Puerto Rico, 16:45.982 --> 16:48.996 with achieving the objectives of the governor 16:48.996 --> 16:50.731 and the staff of Puerto Rico. 16:50.731 --> 16:52.340 Our corroboration and collaboration 16:52.340 --> 16:54.473 with the entire federal family, Department of Defense, 16:54.473 --> 16:57.179 Health and Human Services, the Department of Energy, 16:57.179 --> 16:59.882 all of that is on display on the efforts 16:59.882 --> 17:02.371 that we are going through every day 17:02.371 --> 17:05.621 to provide the support and the response 17:06.230 --> 17:10.397 and the recovery to Puerto Rico and it's citizens. 17:12.021 --> 17:14.213 When we talk about the unity of command 17:14.213 --> 17:16.342 and the unity of effort that we're all working here, 17:16.342 --> 17:20.009 I think it's worth noting all of the efforts 17:20.468 --> 17:23.700 that are being done by everybody together, 17:23.700 --> 17:25.422 it's that whole community aspect of this 17:25.422 --> 17:27.508 that we talked about before, with the 17:27.508 --> 17:29.944 Puerto Rico National Guard, it's the Department of Defense, 17:29.944 --> 17:32.766 it's FEMA, it's the local communities 17:32.766 --> 17:34.411 and the municipalities as well. 17:34.411 --> 17:36.732 All those are working together for the food, 17:36.732 --> 17:38.653 the distribution and the water, 17:38.653 --> 17:39.947 the fuel distribution as well. 17:39.947 --> 17:41.547 I'll point out a couple of our objectives here 17:41.547 --> 17:43.814 for the next few days then I'll let Alejandro de la Campa, 17:43.814 --> 17:45.843 who is the federal coordinating officer, 17:45.843 --> 17:49.108 talk a little bit more specifically about that. 17:49.108 --> 17:51.089 The governor mentioned the commodity delivery. 17:51.089 --> 17:54.172 We are working very closely with both 17:55.151 --> 17:57.371 Department of Defense and the Puerto Rico National Guard 17:57.371 --> 17:59.200 for the delivery to the RSAs. 17:59.200 --> 18:02.574 We've got our contractors and our support from FEMA 18:02.574 --> 18:04.508 are working to deliver food to the RSAs, 18:04.508 --> 18:07.024 but also to deliver it straight to the municipalities. 18:07.024 --> 18:09.774 Our supply chain is fully engaged 18:09.786 --> 18:13.953 and is moving along and today we're receiving, by barge, 18:13.962 --> 18:16.545 a little over two million meals 18:17.753 --> 18:20.489 and probably about a million and a half liters of water. 18:20.489 --> 18:22.126 This is one delivery that is constantly coming 18:22.126 --> 18:23.595 on a regular basis. 18:23.595 --> 18:26.678 So we are delivering food to the RSAs 18:27.219 --> 18:29.578 and also delivering them directly 18:29.578 --> 18:31.651 to the municipalities as well. 18:31.651 --> 18:35.163 When we talk about fuel and we mention that the fuel aspect, 18:35.163 --> 18:37.805 one of the important parts of the fuel task force 18:37.805 --> 18:41.972 that we're working on is not just providing security 18:42.681 --> 18:45.525 for the fuel trucks, but getting the fuel stations 18:45.525 --> 18:48.620 up and running, so that the private sector 18:48.620 --> 18:52.306 returns to work and the private sector comes back 18:52.306 --> 18:54.888 and stores are opening, the supermarkets are opening, 18:54.888 --> 18:56.660 stores are opening, all of the great things 18:56.660 --> 18:58.577 that the governor had mentioned today. 18:58.577 --> 19:00.820 What I've also done with our fuel task force 19:00.820 --> 19:02.576 is really pulling together and bringing in 19:02.576 --> 19:05.170 that whole community and private sector aspect of this. 19:05.170 --> 19:07.522 We've talked about refueling the hospitals, 19:07.522 --> 19:08.809 as well, where we wanna make sure 19:08.809 --> 19:11.968 that the hospitals are being put on a rotating basis 19:11.968 --> 19:13.781 where we understand the fuel consumption needs 19:13.781 --> 19:16.819 and working very closely with DoH and very closely with 19:16.819 --> 19:19.574 DoD and their assessment teams with HHS 19:19.574 --> 19:21.285 to ensure that we understand what the needs are 19:21.285 --> 19:23.902 both clinically as well as mechanically 19:23.902 --> 19:26.507 to make sure that we are providing all the resources, 19:26.507 --> 19:30.007 almost that entire aspect of functionality 19:30.825 --> 19:33.024 to make sure the hospitals are up, running 19:33.024 --> 19:35.280 and can be sustained through all of that. 19:35.280 --> 19:37.423 And we're doing that in a strong partnership with DoD, 19:37.423 --> 19:39.590 with the governor as well. 19:39.681 --> 19:42.345 As I said before, I'll say it again today, 19:42.345 --> 19:44.934 it's gonna be a hard day here in Puerto Rico. 19:44.934 --> 19:46.183 It's a hard day every day. 19:46.183 --> 19:47.743 This was a catastrophic storm. 19:47.743 --> 19:50.410 We're making progress every day. 19:50.955 --> 19:53.652 Today will be a little bit better than yesterday. 19:53.652 --> 19:56.358 Tomorrow will hopefully be a bit better than today was. 19:56.358 --> 19:57.933 And I'll turn it over to Alex 19:57.933 --> 20:01.016 to give you a more detailed briefing. 20:02.704 --> 20:03.537 Thank you. 20:04.001 --> 20:05.003 - Thank you Joe. 20:05.003 --> 20:05.836 Good morning Governor. 20:05.836 --> 20:07.812 Good morning General Buchanan. 20:07.812 --> 20:09.312 Provide an update. 20:10.135 --> 20:12.370 Based on the close coordination we are having 20:12.370 --> 20:14.282 with the government of Puerto Rico, 20:14.282 --> 20:18.291 with Department of Defense and all the other agencies 20:18.291 --> 20:22.098 of the federal government and government of Puerto Rico, 20:22.098 --> 20:25.001 we continue with the following priorities. 20:25.001 --> 20:29.168 Commodity deliver, saving lives, fuel delivery and security, 20:29.431 --> 20:33.349 additional delivery to hospitals, hospitals assessments. 20:33.349 --> 20:35.606 We led in today commodities solution plan. 20:35.606 --> 20:39.773 We have been fully implemented since the last 48 hours. 20:40.394 --> 20:43.583 And I'm happy to say that 51 municipalities 20:43.583 --> 20:46.999 have picked up commodities at their regional staging areas, 20:46.999 --> 20:50.441 so they are starting to move, to their municipalities, 20:50.441 --> 20:54.466 the commodities that we have, the food and the water 20:54.466 --> 20:58.633 and 51 municipalities went to those regional staging areas. 20:58.995 --> 21:02.162 From that effort we were able to serve 21:02.310 --> 21:05.393 over 207,000 liters of water and over 21:05.746 --> 21:09.329 close to 40,000 meals in the last 24 hours. 21:10.699 --> 21:13.516 That's related to the effort of those 51 municipalities 21:13.516 --> 21:15.475 going to the regional staging areas. 21:15.475 --> 21:18.642 In addition, we provided direct transportation, 21:18.642 --> 21:21.059 air and ground transportation 21:21.888 --> 21:23.902 to the other municipalities in the island. 21:23.902 --> 21:27.319 And yesterday we delivered 451,000 meals, 21:27.574 --> 21:29.657 429,000 bottles of water. 21:31.727 --> 21:35.172 So all these numbers I'm mentioning right now 21:35.172 --> 21:39.236 is in the last 24 hours, between municipalities going to 21:39.236 --> 21:43.403 their regional staging areas or the transportation 21:45.010 --> 21:46.987 that we provided in coordination 21:46.987 --> 21:48.446 with the government of Puerto Rico 21:48.446 --> 21:50.946 and the Department of Defense. 21:51.011 --> 21:52.751 Related to the fuel task force, 21:52.751 --> 21:55.834 in the last 24 hours we provided fuel 21:56.789 --> 21:59.872 to 10 hospitals around entire island. 22:00.544 --> 22:02.992 So we continue with that effort. 22:02.992 --> 22:07.159 We have a plan where we're refueling 31 medical facilities 22:08.584 --> 22:12.751 on a 3 1/2 day cycle, as per the priorities 22:14.364 --> 22:16.249 that have been established. 22:16.249 --> 22:20.416 Today we will be refueling seven additional hospitals. 22:22.018 --> 22:23.736 At the same time the governor gave the good news 22:23.736 --> 22:26.938 that some of those hospitals already have electricity, 22:26.938 --> 22:29.789 so that's an advance on what we're doing 22:29.789 --> 22:32.456 related to the refueling process 22:32.632 --> 22:35.071 that we have for the 31 hospitals, 22:35.071 --> 22:37.404 so that number could change. 22:37.452 --> 22:39.283 Related to medical task force, 22:39.283 --> 22:41.614 we have conducted, in coordination with 22:41.614 --> 22:45.781 the Health and Human Services, and other agencies, 22:46.453 --> 22:49.286 64 facility assessments completed. 22:51.126 --> 22:54.695 Of those 53 hospitals or facilities are operational, 22:54.695 --> 22:57.112 we have 11 pending for today. 22:58.896 --> 23:03.063 44 operational dialysis centers of 48 are operational also. 23:04.664 --> 23:07.606 40 disaster medical assistance teams have been deployed 23:07.606 --> 23:10.900 to 4 municipalities in the last 24 hours. 23:10.900 --> 23:13.895 And the regional disaster medical response teams 23:13.895 --> 23:18.062 will also be deployed to additional municipalities. 23:18.157 --> 23:19.609 Related to airport operations, 23:19.609 --> 23:23.359 the Roosevelt Roads is fully operational now, 23:23.932 --> 23:27.131 so we have established the Ceiba airport 23:27.131 --> 23:30.635 as a incidence report base where all the commodities 23:30.635 --> 23:32.302 will start arriving. 23:32.402 --> 23:33.830 As the governor mentioned earlier, 23:33.830 --> 23:37.997 the San Juan International Airport is open for business 23:38.049 --> 23:42.216 and is capable of handling over 250 flights per day. 23:43.951 --> 23:47.693 We continue with the earth bridge and the sea bridge 23:47.693 --> 23:51.860 that we opened several days ago, so several airplanes 23:52.177 --> 23:55.678 with commodities are arriving on a daily basis; 23:55.678 --> 23:58.321 most of them DoD assets; and also barges 23:58.321 --> 24:00.988 are also arriving to Puerto Rico 24:01.443 --> 24:05.437 on a daily basis once we opened it a few days ago, 24:05.437 --> 24:07.604 those air and sea bridges. 24:08.505 --> 24:09.709 As the governor mentioned it, 24:09.709 --> 24:13.376 earlier today while the large barges arrived 24:15.274 --> 24:19.441 with 2.4 million liters of water and with 1.7 meals. 24:22.840 --> 24:26.673 As we speak, those commodities are being moved 24:27.289 --> 24:30.540 from the barge and they will be taken to 24:30.540 --> 24:34.040 the 11 regional areas where municipalities 24:34.438 --> 24:37.938 can continue picking up those commodities. 24:38.661 --> 24:41.328 So that's happening as we speak. 24:42.517 --> 24:44.369 Tomorrow and the next two days 24:44.369 --> 24:47.953 we will continue receiving large amounts of water, 24:47.953 --> 24:51.036 of meals, parts and other commodities 24:52.800 --> 24:55.455 to distribute to the people of Puerto Rico. 24:55.455 --> 24:57.761 Related to Mass Care Task Force, 24:57.761 --> 25:00.517 talking also about our partners the American Red Cross, 25:00.517 --> 25:03.517 Salvation Army, in the next 24 hours 25:04.173 --> 25:07.788 will be providing 5,000 meals to the municipalities of 25:07.788 --> 25:11.371 Arecibo, Bayamon, Caguas, Fajardo, Guayama, 25:11.570 --> 25:14.746 Maricao, Loiza, Mayaguez, Ponce and San Juan. 25:14.746 --> 25:17.005 So this is the whole community approach 25:17.005 --> 25:19.463 that John Rabin was mentioning. 25:19.463 --> 25:23.630 We need all the entities in our community to support, 25:24.415 --> 25:25.722 so it's not just the federal government, 25:25.722 --> 25:27.951 the government of Puerto Rico, it's the entire community, 25:27.951 --> 25:30.123 including the voluntary agencies 25:30.123 --> 25:32.456 and they an outstanding job. 25:32.776 --> 25:35.739 In terms of direct assistance to families and individuals, 25:35.739 --> 25:39.906 we have received, as of last night, 45,000 registrations 25:40.900 --> 25:43.380 and we have been able to disburse 25:43.380 --> 25:47.547 6.9 million dollars to the families in Puerto Rico. 25:47.722 --> 25:51.685 That assistance to the individuals, to the families 25:51.685 --> 25:52.941 that have lost their homes 25:52.941 --> 25:55.829 or suffered damages to their homes. 25:55.829 --> 25:59.162 We are continuing receiving applications 25:59.395 --> 26:02.477 and we're sending our teams to the different municipalities, 26:02.477 --> 26:06.198 understanding that there's no telecommunications, 26:06.198 --> 26:08.896 so we're sending a team with electronic tablets, 26:08.896 --> 26:12.229 so they can do the registration and then 26:12.355 --> 26:15.188 we can process on a regular basis. 26:16.660 --> 26:18.756 Related to shelters, the governor mentioned 26:18.756 --> 26:20.906 that there is around 10,000 people 26:20.906 --> 26:23.073 we still have in shelters, 26:23.088 --> 26:25.078 but the number continues to decrease. 26:25.078 --> 26:27.974 Related to the public assistance or infrastructure program, 26:27.974 --> 26:32.141 we have been able to disburse through municipalities 26:32.186 --> 26:35.613 25 million dollars in the last three days. 26:35.613 --> 26:38.411 Those are funds that they could use 26:38.411 --> 26:42.259 for the emergency operations that they are conducting 26:42.259 --> 26:45.348 at this time and we will continue increasing that amount 26:45.348 --> 26:49.515 that has been disbursed already to the municipalities. 26:49.776 --> 26:52.776 Over 20 million for Maria operations 26:53.804 --> 26:57.637 and close to 5 million for the Irma operations 26:57.807 --> 27:00.224 that they're also conducting. 27:01.257 --> 27:02.907 Related to temporary emergency power, 27:02.907 --> 27:06.852 the last 24 hours generators have been installed 27:06.852 --> 27:09.290 at critical facilities, including the airport, 27:09.290 --> 27:13.457 hospitals and many water and sewer treatment plants. 27:13.833 --> 27:15.163 And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 27:15.163 --> 27:17.277 continue doing their assessments 27:17.277 --> 27:20.385 on the installations to those facilities. 27:20.385 --> 27:24.552 Related to bottled water distribution, we deliver water, 27:25.571 --> 27:28.503 in the last 24 hours, to 26 dialysis centers, 27:28.503 --> 27:31.586 3 hospitals and the veteran's center. 27:31.815 --> 27:33.902 Today we'll continue providing more water 27:33.902 --> 27:36.152 to the 26 dialysis centers, 27:37.079 --> 27:40.097 3 hospitals and the veteran's center. 27:40.097 --> 27:43.347 I wanna recognize and thank the support 27:43.391 --> 27:46.744 that we are receiving from the Department of Defense, 27:46.744 --> 27:49.108 from the other federal agencies 27:49.108 --> 27:52.515 and from the entire government of Puerto Rico 27:52.515 --> 27:56.682 that we are working as one team to help recover Puerto Rico. 27:58.040 --> 27:58.873 Thank you. 28:00.640 --> 28:01.783 - Thank you Alejandro. 28:01.783 --> 28:03.033 Thank you John. 28:03.215 --> 28:05.501 And thank you General, again, for your leadership 28:05.501 --> 28:09.020 and I would like to thank all of the components 28:09.020 --> 28:11.338 that are making this happen. 28:11.338 --> 28:14.410 I reiterate that it is a collaboration with everybody. 28:14.410 --> 28:18.066 If one of these cogs is not functioning correctly 28:18.066 --> 28:21.566 the whole might fall down, so we depend on 28:22.354 --> 28:24.626 collaboration with the federal government, 28:24.626 --> 28:27.131 we depend on collaboration with the DoD, 28:27.131 --> 28:29.950 we depend on collaboration with the central government 28:29.950 --> 28:32.233 and with municipalities and with 28:32.233 --> 28:35.438 the nongovernment organizations that are helping over here. 28:35.438 --> 28:37.521 This is a valiant effort. 28:38.989 --> 28:42.600 It is a massive catastrophe, but only working together, 28:42.600 --> 28:44.391 getting the assets over here, 28:44.391 --> 28:45.907 deploying the logistics appropriately, 28:45.907 --> 28:49.364 are we gonna get the results that the people 28:49.364 --> 28:51.556 of Puerto Rico really deserve. 28:51.556 --> 28:53.157 I'd like to add that we have 28:53.157 --> 28:57.157 several U.S. postal offices that are open today. 29:03.278 --> 29:05.528 I believe the number is 66. 29:06.330 --> 29:08.871 We will put them online as well. 29:08.871 --> 29:11.662 They won't be able to deliver to homes, 29:11.662 --> 29:15.364 but they will be open so that individuals can go over there. 29:15.364 --> 29:19.531 And again, reiterate our thankfulness to the administration 29:22.575 --> 29:26.492 for responding to our petitions for being clear 29:28.012 --> 29:30.239 on what the needs are in Puerto Rico, 29:30.239 --> 29:33.019 recognizing that this is a catastrophe 29:33.019 --> 29:36.769 of unprecedented level and allowing us to use 29:36.828 --> 29:39.781 all of these resources so that you can process 29:39.781 --> 29:42.492 the government's priorities and execute accordingly 29:42.492 --> 29:44.381 for the people of Puerto Rico. 29:44.381 --> 29:48.048 With that we're ready to take any questions. 29:50.116 --> 29:53.033 (foreign language) 36:17.765 --> 36:20.162 Again, I've spoken to the president. 36:20.162 --> 36:23.995 I don't feel that message was sent in general. 36:25.787 --> 36:29.136 I do reiterate that the only way for this to work 36:29.136 --> 36:31.719 is for us to have collaboration 36:31.752 --> 36:34.620 and let me stress this, I am committed 36:34.620 --> 36:37.287 to collaborating with everybody. 36:37.418 --> 36:41.177 This is a point where we can't look at small differences, 36:41.177 --> 36:43.677 we can't establish differences 36:46.155 --> 36:48.738 based on politics, for example. 36:48.816 --> 36:50.709 This is a moment where we need 36:50.709 --> 36:52.067 to serve the people of Puerto Rico. 36:52.067 --> 36:54.010 This team over here is committed 36:54.010 --> 36:56.475 to serving the people of Puerto Rico, 36:56.475 --> 36:59.168 collaborating at every front and making sure 36:59.168 --> 37:02.418 that we get results and we get outcomes 37:03.308 --> 37:05.500 that the people of Puerto Rico deserve. 37:05.500 --> 37:07.877 (foreign language) 37:07.877 --> 37:09.387 - [Woman] How did you feel 37:09.387 --> 37:10.897 when you saw that from the president? 37:10.897 --> 37:11.737 - I didn't see it. 37:11.737 --> 37:13.647 I just heard it now, quite frankly, 37:13.647 --> 37:16.429 we've been very busy working on the logistics, 37:16.429 --> 37:17.846 on the execution. 37:18.324 --> 37:21.196 Again, I can only speak to my conversations 37:21.196 --> 37:23.137 with the president, with the vice president 37:23.137 --> 37:27.228 and he has reiterated his commitment with this effort. 37:27.228 --> 37:30.895 He has reiterated that he's putting priority 37:31.391 --> 37:35.558 and he's shown that whenever we have an ask for this effort, 37:36.177 --> 37:37.844 they have delivered. 37:38.600 --> 37:41.689 So with that in mind, I'm not going to 37:41.689 --> 37:45.821 be here interpreting what a tweet says or doesn't say. 37:45.821 --> 37:48.338 I'm gonna be here talking about outcomes and results 37:48.338 --> 37:51.605 and right now the outcomes that we're getting 37:51.605 --> 37:54.490 and the results we're getting is petitions that we make 37:54.490 --> 37:56.744 to the federal government, to the administration; 37:56.744 --> 37:59.315 to the state governments as well, about 17 of them, 37:59.315 --> 38:01.982 they have been answered quickly, 38:02.074 --> 38:05.164 recognizing the urgency of this situation 38:05.164 --> 38:08.247 and this is what should be happening. 38:08.316 --> 38:10.446 We should leave every other consideration aside 38:10.446 --> 38:12.891 and help the people of Puerto Rico 38:12.891 --> 38:15.974 get out of the emergency and rebuild. 38:17.132 --> 38:20.049 (foreign language) 39:20.442 --> 39:22.817 - Do I need to answer that in English? 39:22.817 --> 39:26.687 Yesterday afternoon I met with the Mayor of San Juan. 39:26.687 --> 39:28.604 We were able to discuss 39:29.496 --> 39:33.020 all the needs the municipality of San Juan has. 39:33.020 --> 39:36.770 Before that we were already providing support 39:37.351 --> 39:40.254 to the municipality, but now there's a direct line with us 39:40.254 --> 39:43.087 and also everything is coordinated 39:43.392 --> 39:45.716 through the Governor's Office, 39:45.716 --> 39:48.092 where I'm in constant communication with the mayor 39:48.092 --> 39:49.991 and any needs that she has. 39:49.991 --> 39:53.241 We're working on supplying those needs. 39:53.960 --> 39:56.010 We have staff assigned to working 39:56.010 --> 39:59.011 the municipality of San Juan and the EOC, 39:59.011 --> 40:02.677 as we also have in other municipalities around the island. 40:02.677 --> 40:06.844 Today we will have teams that will be coordinating 40:07.436 --> 40:10.309 with the mayor that will be taking registrations 40:10.309 --> 40:12.546 for the municipality of San Juan, 40:12.546 --> 40:15.546 but now we have direct communication with the mayor. 40:15.546 --> 40:16.713 - [Woman] CBS. 40:20.112 --> 40:22.790 - [Man] Governor, what is the official death count. 40:22.790 --> 40:25.718 - Right now the official death count is 60. 40:25.718 --> 40:28.037 We recognize that, as I stated before, 40:28.037 --> 40:29.870 this number can go up. 40:31.083 --> 40:34.453 We're hopeful that it doesn't go too much up, 40:34.453 --> 40:37.400 but we recognize that based on the devastation, 40:37.400 --> 40:39.537 that it will likely go up. 40:39.537 --> 40:41.571 - [Man] It clearly has and speaking to 40:41.571 --> 40:44.714 local leaders around the island, they describe 40:44.714 --> 40:47.714 people burying relatives and morgues 40:49.454 --> 40:53.204 that are unable to accept cadavers right now. 40:53.285 --> 40:56.954 What is taking so long to get a better number? 40:56.954 --> 41:01.121 People are desperate to know, fearing that it's higher. 41:01.854 --> 41:05.392 What's taking so long to figure out a accurate estimate? 41:05.392 --> 41:08.142 - Our Secretary of Public Service 41:08.158 --> 41:10.240 has been working this effort, 41:10.240 --> 41:12.745 getting some of the most recent numbers. 41:12.745 --> 41:15.828 I will delegate that question to him. 41:16.078 --> 41:17.105 - We heard the rumors. 41:17.105 --> 41:19.065 We checked with all the hospitals, 41:19.065 --> 41:21.178 associations who were here. 41:21.178 --> 41:22.522 They certified to us yesterday afternoon 41:22.522 --> 41:24.888 that there are no bodies in their morgue. 41:24.888 --> 41:26.030 So those are rumors. 41:26.030 --> 41:26.863 Those are nasty rumors. 41:26.863 --> 41:28.762 Those are exactly the rumors we don't want. 41:28.762 --> 41:30.700 We checked with each hospital. 41:30.700 --> 41:32.105 Those that were operational 41:32.105 --> 41:34.329 and those that were not operational. 41:34.329 --> 41:36.079 That is not the case. 41:36.333 --> 41:38.083 - [Woman] Amy Spigel. 41:39.033 --> 41:40.187 - [Amy] Sir, did you say 16 or 60? 41:40.187 --> 41:41.020 - One six. 41:41.315 --> 41:42.965 Let me reiterate that, that point. 41:42.965 --> 41:46.342 I know there's gonna be a lot of information flowing. 41:46.342 --> 41:48.317 Some of it might be true. 41:48.317 --> 41:49.572 Some of it might not. 41:49.572 --> 41:52.089 But what our responsibility over here is 41:52.089 --> 41:55.108 that we can certify that whatever facts 41:55.108 --> 41:57.004 are being distributed are true. 41:57.004 --> 41:58.440 Everything that we're showing over here 41:58.440 --> 42:02.273 is based off identification and back checking. 42:03.434 --> 42:05.933 When we identify that there are hospitals that are open, 42:05.933 --> 42:09.516 we do it so that we have a redundancy to it 42:10.701 --> 42:13.951 and we make sure that hospital is open. 42:14.731 --> 42:18.481 Whatever I get is because we've certified it. 42:20.922 --> 42:23.383 I know some of these facts might come a little bit later on, 42:23.383 --> 42:26.360 but rest assured that we're doing everything 42:26.360 --> 42:29.409 to give you the most up to date, certified facts 42:29.409 --> 42:31.101 for the people of Puerto Rico. 42:31.101 --> 42:32.268 - [Woman] ABC. 42:32.454 --> 42:36.343 - [Australian Reporter] (unintelligible) the first one, 42:36.343 --> 42:38.750 local authorities are telling us 42:38.750 --> 42:42.264 that it could be up to a year for some of the smaller towns 42:42.264 --> 42:44.010 and villages to get power back. 42:44.010 --> 42:45.760 Is that a realistic-- 42:45.791 --> 42:47.136 (cough) 42:47.136 --> 42:49.636 - It's is a complex situation. 42:49.663 --> 42:52.663 Let me talk a little bit about that. 42:52.983 --> 42:55.389 When we talk about a year, it depends on 42:55.389 --> 42:59.056 the visualizing the nature of our topography 43:03.523 --> 43:06.547 and they're probably looking at some of the towns 43:06.547 --> 43:08.576 that are more disconnected. 43:08.576 --> 43:11.376 We recognize that that's gonna be an infrastructure 43:11.376 --> 43:14.793 and a building challenge for Puerto Rico. 43:15.166 --> 43:17.026 Notwithstanding, we are looking for ways 43:17.026 --> 43:20.056 to mitigate that, generators for example. 43:20.056 --> 43:22.102 Trying to displace up to those areas 43:22.102 --> 43:25.352 that energy's gonna get there later on. 43:25.707 --> 43:27.957 But the people of Australia 43:28.460 --> 43:31.543 should have in context what happened. 43:31.605 --> 43:33.742 It was a category four, five hurricane 43:33.742 --> 43:36.025 that passed through the whole of Puerto Rico. 43:36.025 --> 43:39.108 We had a weakened energy grid already 43:39.422 --> 43:41.679 and essentially eightty percent of the transmission 43:41.679 --> 43:44.236 has been destroyed, in Puerto Rico. 43:44.236 --> 43:45.957 We feel that we are looking at 43:45.957 --> 43:48.371 several innovative alternatives so that we can 43:48.371 --> 43:51.574 start powering Puerto Rico without jeopardizing 43:51.574 --> 43:54.907 the future inventiveness of a power grid 43:56.935 --> 43:59.351 that can be effective for a good time. 43:59.351 --> 44:01.684 (crosstalk) 44:07.046 --> 44:08.199 - [Woman] There are other people here. 44:08.199 --> 44:09.616 - [Australian Reporter] Between what people feel 44:09.616 --> 44:11.453 that they're receiving and what you're saying. 44:11.453 --> 44:12.842 (crosstalk) 44:12.842 --> 44:13.675 People are saying-- 44:13.675 --> 44:16.008 (crosstalk) 44:23.725 --> 44:25.743 - [Woman] We need cooperation. 44:25.743 --> 44:28.660 (foreign language) 46:35.757 --> 46:38.195 - [Man] Governor, a lot of people in Puerto Rico 46:38.195 --> 46:41.300 seem to be contemplating, should I stay or should I go, 46:41.300 --> 46:42.717 to paraphrase it. 46:43.354 --> 46:46.521 Tell us, what do you think is gonna be 46:47.887 --> 46:50.012 the long term consequences of this catastrophe 46:50.012 --> 46:51.112 on the island? 46:51.112 --> 46:52.726 Do you think the population's gonna go down? 46:52.726 --> 46:53.726 By how much? 46:53.961 --> 46:55.852 What message do you have for those-- 46:55.852 --> 46:58.593 - Well, it really depends on the level of aid 46:58.593 --> 47:00.214 and execution that we have. 47:00.214 --> 47:03.297 I warned, I think it was last Monday, 47:06.290 --> 47:07.475 that if we don't take action, 47:07.475 --> 47:10.100 if Congress doesn't take action with a significant package, 47:10.100 --> 47:14.267 then we are looking at a possible humanitarian crisis. 47:17.141 --> 47:19.724 That was my statement on Monday 47:19.868 --> 47:23.538 about the long term implications of not taking action. 47:23.538 --> 47:27.705 What are the effects of falling into that predicament? 47:28.995 --> 47:31.572 Massive exodus, without a doubt. 47:31.572 --> 47:35.739 What is my commitment and the administration's commitment? 47:35.906 --> 47:40.073 Is to make sure that doesn't happen, the resources are here. 47:40.767 --> 47:42.330 I could tell you that I have had several conversations 47:42.330 --> 47:46.497 with senators and with congressmen and congresswomen, 47:46.833 --> 47:50.295 for both parties, all the way from Ted Cruz 47:50.295 --> 47:53.634 to leader Schumer, in the Senate for example, 47:53.634 --> 47:56.683 that have expressed that the people of Puerto Rico 47:56.683 --> 48:00.850 need to be treated equally, that this is a disaster 48:00.963 --> 48:03.388 without precedent, that they will take that 48:03.388 --> 48:06.967 into consideration, that there needs to be flexibility 48:06.967 --> 48:09.547 for the people of Puerto Rico, for the government 48:09.547 --> 48:11.755 to execute in the short term. 48:11.755 --> 48:13.838 My view is the following. 48:14.541 --> 48:18.044 As with many other disasters or catastrophes, 48:18.044 --> 48:20.794 this could go one way or another. 48:20.977 --> 48:24.705 It could either collapse or we can find ourselves 48:24.705 --> 48:27.948 on a path to rebuilding stronger than ever. 48:27.948 --> 48:29.988 I am hopeful and my commitment is 48:29.988 --> 48:33.359 getting us to that second route, the route where 48:33.359 --> 48:35.799 we can get out of the emergency, stabilize things 48:35.799 --> 48:39.070 and build Puerto Rico stronger than ever. 48:39.070 --> 48:41.083 I wanna take the opportunity; and I know 48:41.083 --> 48:42.907 we're still in the emergency phase, but; 48:42.907 --> 48:45.465 to think about how we can innovate, how we can 48:45.465 --> 48:47.813 make infrastructure better, mitigate disasters 48:47.813 --> 48:51.167 for the future and make the whole of the access 48:51.167 --> 48:54.590 to the services and infrastructure and quality of life 48:54.590 --> 48:56.011 for the people of Puerto Rico better. 48:56.011 --> 49:00.012 Exodus has always been a problem for Puerto Rico. 49:00.012 --> 49:03.014 Particularly in the past decade and a half. 49:03.014 --> 49:06.587 Certainly the current situation in Puerto Rico, 49:06.587 --> 49:09.490 in the short term that you are likely to see 49:09.490 --> 49:13.657 people go get services elsewhere, but our aspiration 49:14.770 --> 49:17.520 and our objective is to make sure 49:17.963 --> 49:21.226 we can reestablish a robust infrastructure 49:21.226 --> 49:24.473 to fill the needs of the people of Puerto Rico, 49:24.473 --> 49:26.723 to be modern in that sense. 49:26.892 --> 49:31.059 We can not only stop the exodus, but revert it back. 49:32.277 --> 49:35.194 (foreign language) 50:07.308 --> 50:10.185 - Madam, I didn't quite get your name. 50:10.185 --> 50:11.666 I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. 50:11.666 --> 50:12.499 - [Zoey] Me? 50:12.499 --> 50:13.332 - Yes. 50:13.332 --> 50:14.165 - [Zoey] Zoey-- 50:14.165 --> 50:17.009 - Zoey the biggest question is parallel to yours, 50:17.009 --> 50:20.340 so I will answer it in English and Spanish. 50:20.340 --> 50:24.223 There are two components here and we need to have clarity 50:24.223 --> 50:27.433 of thought and we need to have integrity 50:27.433 --> 50:30.714 when we speak about these two components that are parallel. 50:30.714 --> 50:33.842 They seem like they are mutually exclusive, 50:33.842 --> 50:35.259 but they are not. 50:36.510 --> 50:40.640 One of them is the reality that we still need to do more. 50:40.640 --> 50:43.057 There is no doubt about that. 50:43.104 --> 50:46.604 Everybody on this stage has expressed that. 50:46.604 --> 50:49.268 We need to do a lot more, in order for us 50:49.268 --> 50:51.601 to get out of the emergency. 50:51.771 --> 50:52.838 That's one thing, 50:52.838 --> 50:55.056 but the other thing that's also true is that 50:55.056 --> 50:57.523 the administration has answered, 50:57.523 --> 51:01.690 it has complied with our petitions in an expedited manner, 51:02.631 --> 51:05.464 directly, in direct conversations. 51:06.301 --> 51:10.468 What the people outside of Puerto Rico should consider is 51:12.202 --> 51:13.271 a few things. 51:13.271 --> 51:16.282 Number one, the magnitude of this event. 51:16.282 --> 51:19.017 Nowhere in the United States have we ever had 51:19.017 --> 51:22.517 two category four, five hurricanes go through an island 51:22.517 --> 51:25.184 in a span of two weeks, nowhere. 51:25.321 --> 51:27.004 Nowhere has there been a situation 51:27.004 --> 51:31.171 where you are completely disconnected, in terms of land, 51:31.626 --> 51:34.443 from any resources that are available to you, 51:34.443 --> 51:36.510 because in Puerto Rico, essentially, 51:36.510 --> 51:38.667 this last hurricane had blasted through 51:38.667 --> 51:40.471 the whole of the island. 51:40.471 --> 51:43.770 So it left us without additional resources. 51:43.770 --> 51:47.937 And nowhere was the energy grid so severely destroyed 51:50.333 --> 51:53.583 that it hampers your telecom abilities, 51:53.812 --> 51:56.645 your radio abilities and so forth. 51:57.486 --> 52:00.082 Nowhere was the damage so extensive 52:00.082 --> 52:03.195 that it also hindered the ports for a while, 52:03.195 --> 52:05.412 which we have to reopen, thanks to the efforts 52:05.412 --> 52:08.412 of the Coast Guard, and the airport, 52:08.934 --> 52:11.812 which we have limited capabilities, 52:11.812 --> 52:15.979 but they are increasing; limiting our access to resources. 52:16.036 --> 52:17.703 What we're saying is 52:18.209 --> 52:21.209 that we now have the full commitment 52:22.973 --> 52:26.165 of the different components of the federal government 52:26.165 --> 52:28.832 working in this effort together. 52:29.029 --> 52:31.207 And that we need, in order to succeed, 52:31.207 --> 52:35.040 the whole commitment of the local governments, 52:35.065 --> 52:38.531 the municipalities, nongovernment organizations 52:38.531 --> 52:42.698 to make sure that all of these resources get to the people. 52:43.542 --> 52:45.709 I know it; I recognize it. 52:46.138 --> 52:48.030 This is an emergency phase. 52:48.030 --> 52:50.001 This is not comfortable for anybody. 52:50.001 --> 52:52.378 It is hard for the people of Puerto Rico. 52:52.378 --> 52:54.303 It is hard for me to fly in to a community 52:54.303 --> 52:57.743 that's disconnected and see people that are crying, 52:57.743 --> 53:01.076 because they didn't have access to water 53:01.125 --> 53:02.182 and we brought them water. 53:02.182 --> 53:05.720 It is hard for me to see that people are devastated, 53:05.720 --> 53:07.873 because they lost their homes. 53:07.873 --> 53:10.407 But these things, we are bringing 53:10.407 --> 53:12.740 all of the assets over here. 53:13.111 --> 53:15.571 We have been limited by some of the logistics, 53:15.571 --> 53:16.914 but you will see. 53:16.914 --> 53:19.331 You don't have to believe me. 53:19.742 --> 53:22.568 You will see how in these next couple of days, 53:22.568 --> 53:25.789 as has been the truth in the past two days, 53:25.789 --> 53:27.706 more support is coming. 53:27.706 --> 53:29.652 Support from Europe, support from New Jersey, 53:29.652 --> 53:32.273 support from the DoD, support from FEMA 53:32.273 --> 53:36.440 that have more human resources here available to us 53:36.681 --> 53:38.518 so that we can attend to the peoples' needs. 53:38.518 --> 53:40.961 So those two components are very important 53:40.961 --> 53:44.460 for us to consider if we wanna have the full picture. 53:44.460 --> 53:46.385 And my invitation to everybody, 53:46.385 --> 53:48.802 we are here to help everyone. 53:49.730 --> 53:52.665 We are here to collaborate with everybody, 53:52.665 --> 53:56.832 any mayor, any leader, anyone from not for profit sector, 53:58.173 --> 53:59.894 anybody that comes to Puerto Rico 53:59.894 --> 54:03.697 and wants to let us know how they can be more effective. 54:03.697 --> 54:05.289 This is our purpose over here. 54:05.289 --> 54:08.456 Make sure we chain you into the effort 54:08.469 --> 54:10.667 so that you can be part of that solution. 54:10.667 --> 54:13.224 We are not here to put obstacles. 54:13.224 --> 54:14.942 We are here to solve problems and to get results 54:14.942 --> 54:16.282 for the people of Puerto Rico. 54:16.282 --> 54:19.199 (foreign language) 58:16.337 --> 58:20.504 - [Man] (uninteligible) Mayor of San Juan 58:23.823 --> 58:24.656 (uninteligible) the United States, 58:24.656 --> 58:27.489 how does it make you more visible? 58:28.115 --> 58:30.482 - My invitation to everybody is to recognize 58:30.482 --> 58:32.815 what the important issue is. 58:33.416 --> 58:35.473 It's helping the people of Puerto Rico. 58:35.473 --> 58:38.640 Everything else is fodder to the side. 58:39.631 --> 58:42.214 So my invitation to all of them 58:42.580 --> 58:46.663 and my message to the mayor is I am here to help. 58:47.275 --> 58:49.275 We are here to help you. 58:49.335 --> 58:51.566 We are here to collaborate with you. 58:51.566 --> 58:53.919 We are here to collaborate with the resources 58:53.919 --> 58:55.640 that the local government has 58:55.640 --> 58:57.686 and the federal government has, so that 58:57.686 --> 59:01.568 the people of San Juan are in the best possible position. 59:01.568 --> 59:04.178 So my invitation to everyone is that 59:04.178 --> 59:06.451 let's focus on the task at hand. 59:06.451 --> 59:08.784 It's serving the people of Puerto Rico. 59:08.784 --> 59:11.532 If we do that we'll get the job done quicker, 59:11.532 --> 59:13.809 more effectively and we'll make sure 59:13.809 --> 59:16.745 that we can get people on to normalcy 59:16.745 --> 59:18.553 and building a better Puerto Rico, 59:18.553 --> 59:20.970 more effectively and quicker. 59:21.338 --> 59:23.423 - [Woman] The New York Times. 59:23.423 --> 59:25.984 - [Man] Governor, you spoke very specifically 59:25.984 --> 59:28.641 about progress the last few days. 59:28.641 --> 59:30.600 You also speak specifically about 59:30.600 --> 59:33.917 the remaining challenges to really keep you up at night. 59:33.917 --> 59:35.227 Last night when you went to bed, 59:35.227 --> 59:36.393 what was the list of things 59:36.393 --> 59:38.446 that was going through your head? 59:38.446 --> 59:41.883 - Well there's a whole list of things, right? 59:41.883 --> 59:46.050 I think that the priority list that we've established 59:46.051 --> 59:49.051 keeps being that critical component, 59:50.902 --> 59:53.566 getting food and water to people of Puerto Rico, 59:53.566 --> 59:57.733 particularly to the those regions that are harder to reach. 59:58.157 --> 01:00:00.657 Identify those regions, right? 01:00:02.276 --> 01:00:03.109 We depend, again, on local government, 01:00:03.109 --> 01:00:05.625 on the collaboration, to know where those regions are 01:00:05.625 --> 01:00:08.294 and we've identified at least five of those communities 01:00:08.294 --> 01:00:10.214 that are severely disconnected, so that 01:00:10.214 --> 01:00:12.763 we can make sure that we either make rescue efforts 01:00:12.763 --> 01:00:16.263 or that we can get food and water to them. 01:00:17.013 --> 01:00:19.400 Making sure that the diesel and fuel distribution 01:00:19.400 --> 01:00:21.768 is effective, as it has been, in the hospitals. 01:00:21.768 --> 01:00:25.518 We can have scenario where people are injured 01:00:26.204 --> 01:00:28.539 or lose their lives, because they don't have access 01:00:28.539 --> 01:00:32.381 to electricity or to energy and that is something 01:00:32.381 --> 01:00:34.298 that's a consideration. 01:00:34.316 --> 01:00:37.537 I have to say that right now it's being executed 01:00:37.537 --> 01:00:41.704 as designed, in terms of the distribution to the hospitals, 01:00:42.704 --> 01:00:44.887 but it's still a concern, particularly when 01:00:44.887 --> 01:00:47.387 we're in this emergency phase. 01:00:48.028 --> 01:00:51.195 I think telecoms is important as well. 01:00:51.196 --> 01:00:54.029 Any sort of communication vehicle. 01:00:55.380 --> 01:00:56.857 The more information we have 01:00:56.857 --> 01:00:58.456 from different areas of Puerto Rico, 01:00:58.456 --> 01:01:01.445 where we don't have to spend four hours getting there 01:01:01.445 --> 01:01:03.373 and four hours getting back, where the conditions 01:01:03.373 --> 01:01:05.746 might have changed, the better for us 01:01:05.746 --> 01:01:09.913 to assess the situation and to take action over them. 01:01:10.330 --> 01:01:13.330 So, many things keep me up at night. 01:01:13.659 --> 01:01:17.761 That's probably why you see the big bags under my eyes, 01:01:17.761 --> 01:01:20.261 but the truth of the matter is 01:01:20.271 --> 01:01:23.438 that as we pass through the emergency, 01:01:24.637 --> 01:01:26.883 all of the components that we are discussing, 01:01:26.883 --> 01:01:28.647 seeing the progress, making sure 01:01:28.647 --> 01:01:31.727 that there is no complacency and I have to say 01:01:31.727 --> 01:01:35.894 that both with the DoD and FEMA and all the partners, 01:01:37.407 --> 01:01:41.418 National Guard and so forth, there is no complacency. 01:01:41.418 --> 01:01:43.141 There's willingness to act. 01:01:43.141 --> 01:01:44.637 There's a commitment to get Puerto Rico 01:01:44.637 --> 01:01:46.097 out of this emergency. 01:01:46.097 --> 01:01:49.014 Although it's not helping me sleep, 01:01:50.184 --> 01:01:53.684 it certainly gives me better piece of mind 01:01:53.689 --> 01:01:55.862 knowing that I have this full commitment 01:01:55.862 --> 01:01:59.442 of this united effort behind us in Puerto Rico. 01:01:59.442 --> 01:02:02.831 - [Woman] We hope to do a press conference in a few minutes. 01:02:02.831 --> 01:02:03.863 We will go to the port authority 01:02:03.863 --> 01:02:04.863 and see FEMA 01:02:10.888 --> 01:02:14.055 and we will take questions over there. 01:02:14.730 --> 01:02:15.730 - Thank you.