Subject: FEMA Press Call

FEMA

Subject: FEMA Press Call

Moderator: William Booher

10-02-17/2:00pm CT

Confirmation # 7612850

Page 1

FEMA PRESS CALL

Moderator:William Booher

October2,2017

2:00pmCT

Operator:GooddayandwelcometotheFEMAPresscall.Today’sconferenceisbeingrecorded.Atthistime,IwouldliketoturnthecallovertoWilliamBooher,pleasegoahead.

William Booher:Goodafternoon,thisisWilliamBooher,DirectorofPublicAffairsatFEMA.ThankyouforjoiningustodayforanupdateonfederaleffortstosupportPuertoRico’sresponsetoHurricaneMaria.Soyouknowthiscallisontherecordandjournalistswillbeabletoaskquestionsfollowingbriefopeningremarks.Duetotimeconstraints,weaskthatyoulimitfollow-upstoonequestion.Startoffthecallthisafternoonwe’llhaveAdministratorLongdeliverbriefremarksonwhathe’sseenonthegroundtodayandthatprogressthat’sbeingmade.FollowingthatwewillreceiveoperationalupdatesfromthegroundinPuertoRicofollowedbyanupdatebytheUnitedStatesArmyCorpsofEngineersaswellasHealthandHumanServices.

Participantsontoday’scallareFederalCoordinatingOfficer,AlejandroDeLaCampa,ChiefofEngineersandCommandingGeneraloftheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,LieutenantGeneralToddSemoniteandHealthandHumanServicesSecretaryforASPRPrincipalDeputyAssistantSecretary,EdwardGabriel.

I’mnowgoingtoturnitovertoAdministratorLongforbriefremarks.

Brock Long:Heyeverybody.Thismorning - thisisAdministratorLong,BrockLong,FEMA.Thismorningwewent(wheels)up5:00amfromWashington,D.C.,andlandedinSanJuanandthisismythirdtriptoPuertoRicosinceIrma.IlandedonceafterIrmaandthisismysecondtimecomingbackafterMaria.WhatIwasshockedtoseewasthatwhenwelandedwebasicallygotcaughtupinrushhourtraffic,thevolumeofcars,movingalongatmoderatetoheavytraffic,movingalongasifitwasanormaldayatSanJuanwhichwasprettysurprising.

TheotherthingthatIsawwerelocalpublicworkfolksforthecityofSanJuanoutcuttingthegrassalongthemediansandaroundthehighways.Wewereexitingthecity.TheotherthingthatIsawwasthatIhadacellsignalprobablyagood20to30minutesoutsideofthecityaswewereheadingdowntoCentralPuertoRicotoatownknownasUtuado,itisinthemountainousregions,centralmountainousregions.Itwasoneofthecommunitiesthatwasisolatedforawhileandtookoneofthehardesthits.Asweweregoingdowntheroad,Isawnumerousfueltruckswithsecurity.Isawnumerouswatertruckswithsecurity,IsawnumerousDODtrucksgoingbackandforthfromSanJuanoutintothemunicipalitiesthatwereoutthere.Wesawquiteafewhighwaysthathadbeenclearedfromdebris.Wesaw - Ithinknowwehaveover15majorhighwaysinPuertoRicothatareopenbecauseofthedebrisremovalprocessthatwepushedforwardandaswecameintoUtuado,youcouldseethedevastatingeffectsoftwomajorhurricanesandthebottomlineis,iswhatIsawwasprogressbeingmadetodayandIsawinsideofthiscityaveryresilient - IsawalotofresilientPuertoRicans.AndIsawneighborshelpingneighborsandIdidn’tseeanybodyinalife-threateningsituation.

TheotherthingthatIsawwereairdrops,theycameinwhilewewerethere.WeactuallywereabletosupportoneoftheairdropsthatcameinwithremovingwaterontopalletsatalocationwherewewerestagingthesuppliesthatwerecominginfromtheblackhawksthattheNavywasflyingatthetime.Andthenwhatwewitnessedwasamunicipalityinanearbyareathathadmarshaledtheirdriverstocomepickthatwateruptotakeittoanotherarea.

TheotherthingthatIsawtodayweremanystorescomingbackonline.Isawfastfoodrestaurantsopeninmanyareas.Isawquiteabitofprogress.TheotherthingIsawwasthatwehavealongwaytogoinrecovery.RebuildingaresilientPuertoRicoisgoingtobeaherculeaneffort.Thebottomlineis,isthatwehavetoreallyconsiderhowwe’regoingtorebuildthepowergridwhichiscurrentlybeingledbyGeneralSemonitewiththeArmyCorpsofEngineersinconjunctionwithGovernor(unintelligible).WehavetorebuildahospitalcapabilityinPuertoRico.Manyofthehospitalsareoperational,Iwasabletovisitoneofthefacilitiestoday,I’msorry,Ican’trememberthenameofthehospital,anybodyremember?We’llgetthattoyouhereinasecond.

Thebottomlineisthatit’snotthebestsituationintheworldbecauseoflacklusterairconditioningandtemporaryairconditioningunitsrunningthroughahospitalbutthereweredisastermedicalteamsonsitetakingcareofpeopleandthestandardofcareisonlygoingtocontinuetoincreaseaswegoon.Wehavealotofworktorebuildthehospitalsystem,wehavealotofworktodotorebuildthepowergridsystem.Wehavequiteabitofworktocreateday-to-dayroutine.ButtheefforthasbeentremendousanditwasgoodformetobeonthegroundputtingmybootsonthegroundandseetheamountofresourcesthathavebeenputforwardtohelpPuertoRicosustainlifeandalsobeginthepathwaytorecovery.

Therearealotofisolatedcommunitiesthatbecauseoftheroadwaysystemsthatweretotallywashedout,Isawalotoflandslides.Isawalotofroadsthathadbeenwashedouttodayaswellwhichobviouslymakesthingsincrediblylogisticallychallenging.Butforthemostpart,whileweknowthatpeoplearestrugglingbecausethey’velosteverythingandthey’vetakenareallytoughhit,whatIdidn’tseewasadditionallossoflifeoccurringanywhereandrightnowwe’restillat16fatalitiesandIthinkunfortunatelythere’sbeenalotofconflictingstatementsthathavebeenouttherebutwhatIsawwasprogressandIthinkI’llleaveitatthat.Thankyou.

William Booher:ThankyouMr.Administrator.WewillnowturnitovertofederalCoordinatingOfficer,AlejandroDeLaCampaforanoperationalupdate.

Alejandro De La Campa:Hi,goodafternoon.Theprioritiesremainthesameasweindicatedyesterday,thecommoditydistribution,securefueldelivery,dieseldistributiontohospitalsandothercriticalfacilities,restorationoftelecommunications,restorationoftheelectricalgridandrestorationofwaterandsewersystems.IntermsofcommoditydistributioninadditiontothetwomillionlitersofwaterandtheonemillionmealsthatwehavealreadydistributedinthelastfewdaysincoordinationwiththegovernmentofPuertoRicoandtheDepartmentofDefenseandotherfederalagencies,wecontinuewiththatprocess.Soyesterday(12,000)litersofwater400,000mealsweredistributedtothe(unintelligible)areasandthegoodnewsisthatmoreandmoremunicipalitiesaregoingtothoseregional (unintelligible)areastopickupcommodities.Yesterdaytherewere42municipalitiesgoingthere.Thedaybeforewere57.Atthesametime,theU.S.NationalGuarddistributedcommoditiesto13municipalities.Thosewhocouldn’tmakeittothe(unintelligible)areasfordifferentreasonsandtodaywehavethemscheduledtodistributemealsandfoodto14additionalmunicipalities.Additional(unintelligible)arearrivingtoPuertoRico,today,tomorrowwithclosetooveramillionlitersofwaterandadditionalmillionliters,Imeanmeals.

Iwouldlikealsotosaythat65%ofthegroceriesandsupermarketsinPuertoRicoarenowopensothosearegoodnewsandalso69%ofgasstationsarefullyoperational.Thegovernorindicatedthismorningapressconferencethatthewaitinglinesinthegasstationsafewdaysagowerefive,six,sevenhours.Asofyesterdayitwasbetween20and35minuteswaitingandthatnumberhasbeenreduced.Sothatshowsthatwe’regoingbacktonormalityinmany,manyareas.Relatedtothefueltaskforce,wecontinuerefueling31medicalfacilitiesonathreeandahalfdaycycleasperthePuertoRicoDepartmentofHealthprioritiesyesterday.Werefueledeighthospitals,todaywearerefuelingtenadditionalhospitals.

Relatedtothemedicaltaskforce,IknowwehaveMr.EdGabrielonthecall,PrincipalDeputySecretaryforHHS,IknowisgoingtogivethedetailssoallofthegoodthingstheDepartmentofHealth,HHS,isdoinginPuertoRico.Sorelatedtocommunications,wecontinueprovidingsatellitephonestothemayorsofPuertoRico.Werecognizethattheyareinisolatedareassowe’resupportingtheireffortsprovidingsatellitephonesandalsoour (unintelligible)units.Thosearecommunicationunitssupportingvoiceanddatarequirementsinseveral of the (unintelligible)PuertoRicoEmergencyManagementagencyphones.Intermsofwaterandwaste,watertaskforce,wehaveimplemented78watertank truckssupporting78municipalitiessowe’reabletoprovidewatertankerstoall78municipalitiesinPuertoRico.

ThePuertoRico(unintelligible)Authorityreports50%oftheirclientshavepotablewaterandincludedboatwaterdeliveriestotal yesterday162,000gallonsto(four)medicalfacilities.Intermsoftemporarypowerrestorations,theU.S.Army(unintelligible)ofEngineerscontinueinstallinggeneratorsacrosstheisland.Mostlytohospitals,criticalinfrastructureandalsowaterstationsandwatertreatmentplantsaspartoftheplantsandwecontinuedoingassessmentstothefacilitieswiththeleadershipoftheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers.Intermsofboatwaterdistribution,yesterdaywedistributedover100,000gallonsofwatertohospitalsandelderlyhomesaroundtheentireisland,notonlyinthemetropolitanarea,butaroundtheentireisland.Andaswedoevery day,weprovideboatwater,22dialysiscentersand16medicalfacilitiesthatareinneedofthissupport.

Intermsofassistancetoindividuals,wehavereceivednowcloseto90,000applicationsforFEMAassistanceundertheindividualassistanceprogram.Wehavedispersedcloseto$7millionandthisisanexampleofproactivemeasuresthatwehavetakenasweknowmostofthemunicipalitiesintheislandtheydon’thavetelecommunications,theydon’thaveconnectivitybutwithour(IA)teams,disastersurvivorteams,wehavebeenabletoreachtomanymunicipalitiesacrosstheislandandwiththeelectronictabletthey’vebeenabletodotheregistrationsformanyfamiliesaroundtheislandeventhoughthere’snoconnectivityinthoseareasandthenumberrightnow,itis,wehavereceived90,000applications.

Intermsof(unintelligible)Iwouldliketorecognizetheeffortsofmanyofourpartnersthatarealsopartofthewholecommunityconceptofrespondingtothisdisaster.IntermsoffoodtheDepartmentofHousingdelivered25palletsofinfant and toddler kidstosheltersinthemunicipalitiesofUtuado,Orocovis, Naranjito, Adjuntas, Corozal, Comerio, Manati, and Barranquitas. Thedepartmentofthefamilydeliveredover18,000foodboxestoseveral municipalitiesacrosstheisland.TheAmericanRedCrosscontinuesdeliveringwater,mealstomunicipalitiesallovertheisland,theSalvationArmyhasdeliveredover29,000mealsinthelastsevendaysandover7000bottlesofwaterandicetovariousmunicipalities.Thereworldcentral kitchen inthelastweekhavepreparedanddistributedover50,000mealstodifferentmunicipalities. Feeding America distributed500,000poundstomultiplelocationsinthepasttwodaysinmanymunicipalities.Sothisisanexampleoftheunifiedcoordinationgroupofthewholecommunityconceptwheremany,manyentitiesareprovidingsupporttoPuertoRicoincoordinationwiththeleadershipoftheGovernorofPuertoRicoandalltheagencies.

Withthat,Iendmyreport.Thankyou.

William Booher:Thankyou,sir.GeneralSemoniteifyouwillprovideupdateplease.

General Semonite:Surewill.JustwanttobeabletogiveyouanupdateonwhattheCorpsofEngineersaredoing,reallyfivemajormissions.I’mgoingtokeyontwoofthemtoday.Firstofall,IthinkmostimportantastheFEMArepresentativereported,it’safourphasedifferentprocess.Mostimportantistemporarypower.We’vegottogetgeneratorsintotakecareofthesecriticallifefacilities.We’vegotover168onthelistinfrontofmehere.We’reworkingourwaydownthroughthatbasedonthegovernor’sprioritiesandbasedoninputfromthemayorstobeabletomakesurethatwe’retakingcareofhospitals,sewerstations,andtherestofthosecriticalones.

Itreallygoesbacktobeingabletomakesurethatuntilwegetthegridupandrunning,we’vegottohavethesemostcriticalfacilitiesupandoperationalandthosegeneratorsaregoingin.We’vegot79generatorsonground.They’vegotanother400coming.Sowedon’tseeasignificantchallengewithanyresourceconstraintsontemporarypower.Thesecondbigphasewe’vegottodoisbeabletomakesurethepowerplantonPuertoRicoareadequatetobeabletogeneratethatloadandwedon’tseeasignificantchallengethere.ImetthismorningwiththeheadofthePuertoRicanPowerAuthority.Hecontinuestohavehispeopleoutworkinginthedifferentpowerplantsandit’sagoodtimejusttoreinforcethisthatthisisateameffort,sidebyside,theCorpsofEngineersworkingunderFEMAdirectionalongwiththePuertoRicanpowerauthority,tobeabletomakesurewe’reworkingthroughtogetthatgenerationupandrunning.

Thethirdphaseandreallytheonethat’sprobablygoingtobeoneofthebiggestchallengesistransmission.We’retalkingaboutpowerthatgoesbasicallyaroundPuertoRicoasaperimeterbutthere’sfourcriticalnorth-southlinesthatconnectthesouthgridtothenorthgridandthosearetheoneswhoareflying.I’vegotageneralofficeroutnowrightnowwithassessmentcrewstobeabletocontinuetovalidatehowmanypollsaredone,howmanymilesofcablearedownandwhatdoweneedtodotogetthattransmissionupandrunning.

Andthisisgoingtobesomethingthatthemorewegetthebackboneofthepowergrid,whichisreallythelargetransmission,largemetaltowerswith230kVpowergoingthroughthosecables,wewon’tbeabletocontinuetore-establishthegrid.Andthenthefourthandfinalphaseiswhatwecalldistribution.Thisiscomingdownfromthebigmetaltowersdownintowoodenpollswithcables.There’sabout31,000milesofcablethroughoutallofPuertoRico.We’vegottobeabletofigureoutwherearethosedown,howdowecontinuetoconsolidateandgetthemrunning.

Allfourofthosethingshavetoworkconcurrently.Wehavetoworkthetemporarytower,wehavetoworkgeneration,wehavetoworktransmission,andwehavetoworkdistributionandteamsareoutonthegroundbeingabletocontinuetobeabletomakesurewe’redoingeverythingwecantogetitupandrunning.AnotherthingthatIcertainlywanttohighlightisoneofthedams -- thisisaPuertoRicandamcalledGuajatacainthelastseveraldays,withalltheraincoming,wesawasignificantdeteriorationofthespillway.Thespillwayisonthefrontofthedamandabouthalfoftheconcreteinthespillwayerodedaway.Withalotofwaterstillcomingoverthetopofthatdam,wewereworriedthatthetowwouldcontinuetobeeatenawayanditwouldthreatentheintegrityofthedam.

Sowe’vehadteamsoutinthelastseveraldaysdoingsurveys.Withinthelasttwohours,weputin21whatwecalljerseybarriers.Theseareconcretebarriersthatweputintheretobeabletoholdthattow.We’vegotaboutanother80thatareonsite.Ourgoalwouldbetoputabout350intobeabletocontinuetoholdthatandmakesureit’ssecure.AndthereasonIsaythatisthatthere’swaterstillcomingoverthespillway.Wedon’tknowwhat’scomingwithfutureraininthenextseveralweeksormonthsandwe’vegottobeabletomakesurewe’reprotectingthepeoplethatliveonthesouthsideofthatdam.

We’realsogoingtocomein,inthenextcoupledays,whatwasitcalled,supersacks,greatbigverylargesandbagsandtocontinuetostabilizethatdam.Justthreeotherquickareas.Theportsaregoingwell.Ofthe16ports,11ofthemareclear.Wecontinuetobeabletomakesurethatthosechannelsareopensothatcriticalsuppliescangetinandout.Ourcontractorsthataredoingdebrisremovalareoutonthegroundcontinuingtododebris.Debrisisgoingtobealongmission,withoutadoubt,butit’ssomethingthatwe’recontinuingtorampuptobeabletogetthedebristakenout.

Andthenthefinalthingistemporaryroofs.Alotofrequirementsforroofs.We’vegotblueplasticandourcontractorsontheground,andwe’rerampinguptheabilitytobeabletogetthosetemporaryroofsupandrunning.AndI’llleaveitthereandtakewhateverquestionsyouneedto.

William Booher:Thankyou,general.WewillnowturnitoverPrincipalDeputyAssistantSecretary,EdwardGabriel,withHHS.

Edward Gabriel:Terrificandthanksforhavingusonagaintoday.Thisisimportant.Wewillgiveyouanupdateonthehospital.There’s67hospitalsinPuertoRico.Thatnumber -- thenumberofthemthathaveincreasedthatarecurrentlyonelectricalpower,whichisahugethingforhospitalsasweallknoware14.However,ourpartnerswithDODandtherestoftheFEMAresponseteams,alloftheotherhospitalsareonpowergrid.Thereisonepsychiatrichospitalthatwe’recurrentlyassessing.

Inadditiontothat,wehavealmost600personnelonthescenewiththousandsandthousandsofpoundsofequipment.Thesepeoplehavetreatedhundredsofcasesandpatientsandjusttobeclear,thereweretimesweseepatientsthathaveminortomoderaterelatedthingsgoingon,likecutsandbruises,andmanagethosecases.Wedon’tnecessarilycapturethattheyhaveactuallybeensignificantlyinjured.We’relookingatmoderatetoverysickpatients.

WehavesixtemporarymedicalsitessetupinPuertoRicotoaidthehospitalsandareteamsaretherewithdocs,nurses,paramedics,EMTs,logisticians,pharmacists,andgroupsofotheremergencyrespondersthatwebroughtinfromalloverthecountrytohelpmanageandsupportourstateandlocalpartners,excuseme,ourcommonwealth,andgovernment,andlocalpartnersintermsofthisresponse.

Wehave,workingwithourFEMApartners,theurbansearchandrescueteamsthattheyputthatdorescueforpeopletrappedincertainlocations.Wehaveteameduptogetherwithourmedicalpersonnelto -- incasetheyfindthosekindsofpatientsthathavebeentrapped -- thatourmedicalteamsarewiththemrightonthescenetoprovideadvancedlevelsofcaretothosepatientsastheybegintotransportthembacktohospitals.

Inadditiontothat,wehaveanumberofdifferentconnectivitypointswith -- throughoutthecountrytogetupdatesonhospitals.Weknowthattheonesthatareongenerationcanconnectwithusthroughthesystemsthatweputinplacetodothat.Soit’sallgoodintermsofhavingvisibility.Now,let’sberealistic.SometimesthosegeneratorsgodownbutwehaveasystemofnotificationandworkingwithourFEMAandDODpartners,haveasysteminplacetogetthembackup.Sothey’regoingtobe -- becausethesedevicesarenotnecessarilymadetomanageforlongperiodsoftime,obviously,thefinalsolutionofthisinthiscatastrophicallyaffectedarea,willbegettingthembackontheelectricalpowergrid,whichwasgoodtoheartheupdatesfromthegeneralonthat.

Inadditiontodayalone,wehavestaffandequipmentcontinuingtomoveintoPuertoRicotohelpmanagepatientsinthefutureandsomeofthoseresourcesarespecializedtolookindifferentareasofpatientmanagement,mortuaryservices,andmedicalcare.Overall,everysingledayisalittlebitbetter.Wearemakingsurethatweusetheassetsthatarebeingprovidedwithustohavevisibility.Again,specialthankstoDODwhohasprovideduswithhelicoptertransportsforourpersonnelandleadershiptomovearoundthecountrytobeabletoeithermanagepatients,movepatientsiftheygettoosicktoourprimaryareasandhospitals,sotheycanbemanagedinamorecohesiveandalittlebitofasaferenvironment.

Finally,thisisateameffort.Today,asIsitandtalktoyou,myboss,theassistantsecretaryforpreparednessandresponse,isonground,Dr.Cadillac.He’songroundinPuertoRicotodayandashecomesback,we’llgetfurtherupdatesfromourincidentmanagementteamsdownthereaswellasDr.Cadillacandaswemovethroughthenextfewdays,we’llbeabletoupdateyouoneverythingthat’sgoingonouttherefromthehealthandmedicalside.Thanks.

William Booher:Thankyou,gentlemen,forthoseupdates.Atthistime,federalcoordinatingofficer,AlejandrodelaCampa,GeneralSemoniteandPrincipalDeputyAssistantSecretary,EdwardGabriel,willbeavailableforquestions.Operator?

Operator:Thankyou.Ifyouwouldliketoaskaquestionpleasesignalbypressingstaroneonyourtelephonekeypad.Ifyouareusingaspeakerphone,pleasemakesureyourmutefunctionisturnedofftoallowyoursignaltoreachourequipment.Avoicepromptonthephonelineswillindicatewhenyourlineisopen.Pleasestateyournamebeforeposingyourquestion.

Again,thatisstaronetoaskaquestionandwewillpauseforjustamoment.Andagainthatisstaronetoaskaquestion.Andwewilltakeourfirstphonequestion.

Michael Biesecker:Yes,thisisMichaelBieseckerwiththeAssociatedPress.IsMr.Longstillonthecall?Canweaskhimquestionsorisheoff?

William Booher:Sir,Mr.Longisnolongeronthecall.

Michael Biesecker:Okay.I’lltossthistowhoeverisbestabletohandleit.Asofthismorning,theDepartmentofEnergysaysonly5.4%ofPuertoRicoElectricPowerAuthoritycustomershavehadtheirpowerrestored.Iunderstandtheprettygeneralassessmentandsunnyassessmentofprogressthatyouallaregiving.Butrealistically,howlongisitgoingtobebeforelifegetsbacktonormalinPuertoRico?Andthatincludinghavingelectricpower?Hello?

William Booher:Mr.DeLaCampa?

Michael Biesecker:Yes,Icanhearyounow.GeneralSemonite,canyouhearme?

William Booher:Yes,sir.Wecan.

General Semonite:Canthecallerhearme?

Michael Biesecker:Ican.Youallfadedoutforamomentbutyou’reback.

General Semonite:Okay,soletmeaddresstime.So(unintelligible)exactlyhowmany(unintelligible)towershavetobebuilt.Wehavesometowersthatareinstockage.Otheronesneedstobeflowninandthenthequestionisreallythedistributionpart.Whileit’smanageabletogetthetransmissionup,thedistributionisgoingtotakealongtime.Ourgoalistocontinuetogetthosearoundabigtransmission,whichisreallytheperimeterofPuertoRico,upearlyandit’sprobablygoingtobesomepercentageofpeoplewithinweeksorhopefullyacouplemonthstogetthemajorityofthePuertoRicans(unintelligible).Myconcernis,though,thosevery,very(unintelligible)mountainthatisfedbyoneofthesesmallerlineswithwoodenpoles,therecouldbe -- wecallthisthelasttacticalmile -- therecouldbepeopleinPuertoRicowhodonothavepowerforanywherefromsix,toeight,totenmonths.Over.

Michael Biesecker:Quickfollow-upquestion.Forthoseremoteareasontheisland’sinterior,ratherthantakingayeartostringupnewpolesandlines,isthereanylookatdoingsomethinglikesolarpanelsandbatterysystemslikeareroutinelyinstalledinthethirdworldthatcouldmaybebeairliftedinmuchfasterordeliveredbytruck?

General Semonite:Sir,Ithinkthat’swhatwe’rereallylookingatisalloptionsdownhere.FEMAhascontinuedtoaskustolookatallkindsofthings.That’scertainlyintherealm,butontheotherhand,whenyouflyoverthesehouses,andthedamage,andthedistributionofthesehouses,there’sjustanawfullotofrequirementsthatareoutthere.Ithinkthebiggestthingishowdowecontinuetobuildresiliencythroughouteverybodythat’slivinginPuertoRicoandtobeabletogetnotonlythepowerbackupandrunning,buttobeabletomakesurethatwecangettheirqualityoflifeupandrunning.

Thegridisthebestwaytogointhelongrun,thoughweobviouslyunderstandthepotentialofsolarorotherthings.Butattheendoftheday,becausetherearealotofcriticalfacilitiesinsomeoftheseremoteareasaswell,thegridisdefinitelytheoverallbestsolutioninthelongrun.

Operator:Andwewillmovetoournextphonequestion.

Christopher Flavelle:Yeahhi,it’sChristopherFlavelle,fromBloomberg,thanksforthecall.CanIaskontheindividualassistancepaymentsmentionedontheCampa,youmentionedthe90,000applicationsandthe7million,almost7millionpaidout,canyoubreakthatdown?Howmanyoftheapplicationshavebeenapprovedandmetpayments?

GeneralSemonite:Idon’thavethatinformationrightnowwithmewithweekendshiftthatwedo.Thenumberisincreasingcontinuouslyandtherateofeligibilityisveryhigh.Wecanhaveitforyouafterthiscall.

Christopher Flavelle:Okayjust -- andaquickfollow-up,whendidthosestartgoingoutthedoor,thoseIApayments?Whendidwegofromzerotosomeamount?

General Semonite:Rightaftertheapplicationprocessisstarted,FEMAisdoinganinitialpaymentforallsurvivorsinPuertoRicoafterallofthecatastrophiceventssopaymentswentoutimmediatelyafterweopenedattheregistrationandIwanttostressagaintheproactivemeasureswe’retakingbythegovernmentofPuertoRicoandincoordinationwithFEMA,with(unintelligible)governmentsgoingouttomunicipalitieswherethere’snoconnectivityandwewereabletosupportwithelectronictabletstheregistrationandinjustafewdayswealreadyhave90,000applicationswhichisalargenumber.

Christopher Flavelle:Okay,thankyou.

Operator:Andwewilltakeournextquestion.

Jesse Seidman:Hi,thisisJesseSeidmanfromVICENews,IwaswonderinghowmanyfemalepersonnelarenowonthegroundaswellasDODandNationalGuardpersonnel?

General Semonite:IntermsofDODpersonnel,thereare7200membersofthemilitary.IntermsofFEMA,wehaveover760employeesworkingthedisaster,pluswehaveover500relatedtootherfederalagencieslikeHHS,AdvancedSearchandRescueteams,theotherESS,ofcoursetheJoint(unintelligible)Office.Andthisisformerly...

Jesse Seidman:AndisthereanumberontheNationalGuard?

General Semonite:Okay,thenumberthatwehaveintotalforHurricaneMariais13,000includingallassetsthatwehaverespondingtotheHurricaneMariaapproximately.

Jesse Seidman:Great,thankyousomuch.

Operator:Andwewilltakeournextphonequestion.

Erin Dooley:Hi,ErinDooleyfromABC,thankssomuchfordoingthecall,Ithinkourteamsarealittlebitconfused.Iknowoneofyourreleasessaidyouhadcovered100%ofPuertoRico,whatexactlydoesthatmeanthatyou’vesurveyedthembyairormadecontactontheground?

General Semonite:Okay,that’sanexcellentquestion.PuertoRicohas78municipalitiesandithas78mayors.Wehavebeenabletoreachall78municipalitiesandbeabletointeractwiththe78mayorsandwehavebeenabletodistributefoodandwaterandothercommoditiestothe78municipalitiesandinaddition,Imentioneditatthebeginningofmybriefing,almost60municipalitieshavebeengoingonaregularbasistothe(unintelligible)areatopickupwaterandmeals.Thechallengewehaveisthattheyaresomemunicipalitiesthatduetotheirextensionit’shardtoreachcertainareasofthatmunicipality,eventhemajorsarenotabletoreachthoseisolatedareas.

So,whatwe’redoingiswiththesupportoftheDepartmentofDefense,we’regoingviahelicopterandwe’reprovidingfoodbyairtothoseisolatedcommunities.Wehaveidentifiedthem.We’redoingthisincoordinationwiththemajorsandIcantellyousomenames,municipalitiesofOotowago,LasMarias,Marticow,Nadanhito,Orocovies,allofthosemunicipalitiesareinthecenteroftheisland,verymountainousterrain,andtheysufferedlandslidesandbridgecollapseinmanyareas.

So,we’rereachingallthecommunitiesinPuertoRicobyairorbyground,butithasbeenverydifficultandverychallenginginsomeoftheareasbutatleastwehaveidentifiedthoseareasandwekeepprovidingfoodandcommoditiestothoseisolatedareas.

Erin Dooley:Andjustonequickfollowuponthat,yousayyou’veidentifiedallofthem,haveyoualsobeenabletoprovidecommoditiestoallofthem,orthat’ssomethingthat’scurrentlyunderway?

General Semonite:Both.Wehavebeenabletoprovidecommoditiesbutwecontinuedoingitbecausethefamiliesallstillneedwaterandfoodandwe’rerightnowinconversationswiththegovernmentofPuertoRicotomakedecisionsrelatedtothosefamiliesthatareinisolatedareastoseeifwecouldrelocatethemandiftheywanttomoveviahelicopterandcometoshelterssotheycanhavefoodandwateronaregularbasisorhowwe’regoingtocontinueprovidingsupporttothosefamilies.

Atthistime,that’sadecisionthatthegovernmentofPuertoRiconeedstomakeincoordinationwiththemayorofthosemunicipalitiesandwe’reworkingtowardsthoseAirForcetosupportthosefamilies.

Operator:Andwewillmovetoournextcaller.

Ian Philbrick:Hi,thisisIanPhilbrickfromtheNewYorkTimes,you -- soIknowmedicalevacuationsareunderwaybutyoumentionedthatitcouldbeupto12monthsforsomepeopletohaveelectricity,I’mwonderingifyoumighthavebeeninvolvedinanydiscussionseitherinternallyorincoordinationwithotheragenciesaboutmassevacuatingtheisland’spopulationtothemainlandinresponsetothedamageorevacuatingchildrenwhomightnotbeabletoattendschoolfor12months,Imeanarethereconversationsgoingonaboutthatandwasthereeveranyconsiderationgiventomassevacuations,notjustmedicalones?

General Semonite:Thankyouforyourquestion,atthistimethathasnotbeenconsideredbythegovernorofPuertoRicoorbythegovernmentandiftheyapproachuswiththattopic,wewilldiscussitwiththembutatthistimeit’snotsomethingthatisbeingconsideredorevenbeingdiscussed.

Ian Philbrick:Okay,thankyousomuch.

Operator:Andasareminder,thatisstar1,andwewilltakeournextcaller.

Joel Achenbach:Hello,it’sJoelAchenbachwiththeWashingtonPost,IhaveaquestionfirstforMr.DeLaCampacanyoutellusalittlebitaboutwhathappenedinitiallywhenthestormhit,wereyouintheFEMAcenterthereintheCaribbeansuppliesfacilitythathadtogetevacuatedlaterandthenIjustwashopingthattheothergentlemancouldexplainwhat’sgoingonwiththedamalittlebitmore.Thatwasaprettyalarmingbulletinthatthere’sbeenfurthererosionthereandIthoughtmaybeyoucouldjusttellusalittlebitmoreabouthow,youknow,dangerousitis,howlikelyitisthatthatdamcouldfail?

Alejandro De La Campa:ThisisAlejandroDeLaCampaandjusttoaddtothepreviousquestionsandjusttobeclear,there’snoneedforevacuationoutsidetheislandsothat’swhyit’snotbeingbroughttoanydiscussionslikethegovernororbythegovernmentofPuertoRico,sothere’snoneedforevacuation.

Okay,yeswewerehereinPuertoRicopriortothehitofHurricaneMaria.WewereattheFEMAfacilitiesandwewerealreadyrespondingtoHurricaneIrma,sowehadthedeclarationforHurricaneIrmaandwehadcloseto500peoplethatwererunningtheoperationsrelatedtoIrma.WehadDODassets.WehadU.S.ArmyCodeofEngineers,otherfederalagenciesandwewereco-locatedwiththegovernmentofPuertoRicoaswenormallydowiththePuertoRicoEmergencyManagement,ANC.

So,assoonasMariahit,wewentouttothefieldwhentheweatherallowedustogobyairandstarteddoinginspections,IRAinspections,ofthesituationinPuertoRicoandwesawlargedestructionaroundtheislandinthosefirstfewhoursafterHurricaneMariasoFEMAhadafullpresencehereinPuertoRicoalongwithotherfederalagenciesincluding4500PuertoRicoNationalGuardsthatwereactivatedbeforeMariaandtheywerereadytogo.AsIsaid,wewerealreadyrespondingtoHurricaneIrmaandthat -- Iappreciateyourquestionbecauseyouseethecatastrophicsituationwe’rehavinginPuertoRicobetweenIrma,aCategory5thathitthenorthpointsofPuertoRicoandthentheysaidthatwehadanotherhurricanebutFEMAwasfullyequippedwithcommoditiesinourdistributioncenter.Iwill(unintelligible)nowtogeneralforthesecondpartofthequestion.

General Semonite:So,GeneralSemoniteagain,soagainthisisoneofthePuertoRicandams.Thisisadamthatcollectsalotofwater,alotofrainfallcomingintoitandwhenthestormcame,thatwaterwenttothetopofthedamandlikehowalldamsaredesigned,there’sanengineeredchannelcalledthespillwaythatgoesdownthesideofthedam,actuallydownonthefrontofthedam.So,becausetherewassomuchwaterinthedam,thatspillwaystartedtogoabouttwofeetofwaterandthewaterwentabouttwofeetoverthespillway.Thisisvery,verysimilartowhathappenedacoupleofmonthsagointheCaliforniaStateDamofOroville.Whathappenedisitwentdownthespillway.Wehadfailureontheconcretelowerportionofthisspillway.Whatthatcausedthenisagreatbiggapandthatwatercontinuedtoerodeawaytheverybottomofthatspillway.

Becausetheraindidn’tstopanditkeptcomingoverandover,wewereworriedthatthaterosionwasgoingtoworkitswaybackintothebaseofthedam.So,thewaterwentdowntoaboutafootacoupleofdaysago.Wehadrainherethelastcoupleofdaysandsowenowhavegotthatwaterwhereitstillisalowerflowbutthebiggestthingis,whenthegovernorandIandtheFEMAteambriefedthepeopleofPuertoRicoacoupleofdaysago,thegovernorgavewarningtoeverybodybelowthedam.Theyknowthattheyareintheriskareaandthegovernorcautionedthemtomoveout.

We’vegotassessmentteamsandinvestigationteamsonthedam,makingsurethatwedon’thaveanystructuralfailureandagain,rightnowthedamissafeaslongaswecancontroltheerosiononthebottompartofthespillway.So,thewholegoalofthepathtodaywastoputbig,bigconcretebarriers.Alotoftimeswethinkofthataslikeriff-raff,tobeabletoretain,toholdthatbankbackandthencontinuetoputmore(unintelligible)intheretobeabletomakesurethere’snoerosion.

AndsoI’llprobablykeepitatthatbutreally,Ithinkwe’vegotitundercontrol.It’sjustsomethingwewanttowatchvery,verycarefullytobeabletomakesurebothwepreservelifesafetywhileatthesametimemakingsurethatifwehaveanotherstorm,thatthatdoesn’tgettobeadangeroussituation.

Operator:Andthisdoesconcludetoday’squestionandanswersession.Iwouldliketoturnthecallbackovertotoday’spresenters.

Male:Allright,thankyou.I’dliketothankFederalCoordinatingOfficeDeLaCampa,GeneralSemonite,andPrincipalDeputySecretaryGabrielforprovidingtheupdatestoday.Wewilladvisewhenthenextcallisavailableandthateverybodyfortheirparticipation.Thisendsthecall.Thankyou.

Operator:Andladiesandgentlemen,onceagain,thisdoesconcludetoday’sconference.Wethankyouforyourparticipation.Youmaynowdisconnect.

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