Help Puerto Rico recover from devastating hurricane damage

In related news...

[h=1]We’ll Know Congress Is Serious About Helping Puerto Rico if It Axes This Obscure Shipping Law[/h]

RedRajah said:

In related news...

We’ll Know Congress Is Serious About Helping Puerto Rico if It Axes This Obscure Shipping Law

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Interesting read. Thanks for posting it.

RedRajah said:

In related news...

We’ll Know Congress Is Serious About Helping Puerto Rico if It Axes This Obscure Shipping Law

Click to expand...

Well, if (the Republican) Congress follows that administration's lead, they won't waive it. Hoping for a different outcome, but as I watch the news, I don't see any movement in that direction, other than Democrats pushing for it (have called my reps).

This is what Trump has, finally, tweeted about Puerto Rico (though he has slowed his stream of NFL tweets):

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble....

It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....

...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA

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I miss President Obama. Sorry, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

I've given to Direct Relief. I'm hoping there's more I can do, but I know the #1 need in almost all cases is money for people on the ground to be able to buy exactly what they need.

Too bad Puerto Rico ditched its railway system. It could have used diesel locomotive as emergency electric generators.

-cb

I've given some money to project hope for medical relief to Puerto Rico. The pictures I've seen are devastating.

What's needed right now is a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico.

Were I president, that's exactly what I'd do: convene my Cabinet, and say those exact words, then, "Ladies and gentlemen, make it so." Then adjourn the meeting so they could get to work.

And it looks like *45 is being a POS

[h=1]US won't waive shipping restrictions for Puerto Rico relief[/h]

regdog said:

But there is no racism in this Administration.

From RedRajah's link

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Regarding that particular quote...I am so angry I don't know what to say. WTF?

AW Admin said:

Alternatively instead of blaming hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico for “debt” #45 could actually pay what he owes Puerto Rico:



That’s right, he defaulted on 33 million dollars in taxes.
Trump's family bought the golf course when it was already in trouble, borrowed money (including form The Puerto Rico Tourism Development Fund) twice, made revenue, then pulled out of the business four years later.

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Again...WTF?

I really can't even right now. 33 million dollars would go so far to help the people of Puerto Rico right now. I'm so angry that my eyes have filled with tears.

Well, you know, at least *45 has a good reason for sentencing American citizens (not that it should matter) to suffering, illness, and death /s:

President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he was considering waiving the act but hesitated because “a lot of people that work in the shipping industry... don’t want the Jones Act lifted.”

He added: “We have a lot of ships out there right now.”


Meanwhile, two major shipping firms serving Puerto Rico have said goods delivered to San Juan’s port have been stranded due to a lack of diesel fuel for trucks and damage to the island’s road network.

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My bold.

I've donated money, and I know organizations usually don't want goods, but I have seen regular folks with access to planes collecting things like medical supplies, non-perishables, towels. A friend who works in the travel industry was just at my house picking up some stuff and told me of other ongoing relief efforts she can vouch for. I spent part of Monday trying to track down a cargo plane through my pilot nephew for a relief effort I heard about. When I look at conditions there, I can't even imagine how much worse it's going to get.

I love hearing stories like that, Lyv. I work for the FAA, and I've assisted with our recruitment of employees to donate time and energy in the relief efforts. We have folks actively working to keep the airport open and running at as high a rate as possible. They're up to 18 flights an hour. I've donated as well. If I weren't married with a kid and using up three weeks of leave a year, I would go down there in a heartbeat. Right now, I'm trying to get one of our controllers home. He went down to help at the airport but also to check on his family. He found them thank goodness, and they are doing as well as can be expected.

I cannot even fathom what the people there must be feeling right now. They have been completely leveled. Back to ground zero. No water or food. No electricity or cell service. Everything closed and shut down so that no one can work even if they could get to work. So no money. Not that there's anything to buy. The kids will be out of school for who knows how long. The entire island has gone back to pre-civilization era. It's unfathomable. And yet, it has happened.

regdog said:

Proving he is doing all he can to ignore and erase the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico DJT has now banned members of Congress from visiting the devastated island.

That's right. Our wannabe dictator has now decreed US citizens are not allowed to freely travel to US destinations because he said so.


Link 1

Link 2

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The worst part is that it is all for the petty reason he wants to be first. It's all about him, winning, while our own citizens suffer and die.

The day could be just a coincidence, but Trump literally told Puerto Ricans "See You Next Tuesday"! What a c***.

White House waives Jones Act in response to Puerto Rico devastation

Oh, if it were in response to the devastation it would have been days ago and not after citing people in the shipping industry as an argument against saving lives. His belated, grudging action, imo, is in response to public outcry, particularly on social media.

But at least it's finally waived.

regdog said:

Proving he is doing all he can to ignore and erase the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico DJT has now banned members of Congress from visiting the devastated island.

That's right. Our wannabe dictator has now decreed US citizens are not allowed to freely travel to US destinations because he said so.


Link 1

Link 2

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Okay, so, you all know I hate Trump. He's a terrible person and a terrifying "leader" of our nation. But...both links say Congress members can't take military planes to get to Puerto Rico. Is it possible that there really is a good reason for that? He didn't say they couldn't go at all. Just not by military. Maybe there's a reason for that. I really don't know, but I don't want to latch onto "Trump is terrible" if there is some sort of strategic explanation. (Trump IS terrible, but maybe not for this? I hate writing that because I hate giving him any kind of possible benefit of the doubt, but...)

The Jones Act waiver will last a full ten days.

Alpha Echo said:

He didn't say they couldn't go at all. Just not by military.

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The military planes are the ones going. The usual course of action for something like this is for congress members to hitch a ride with a military plane that's already headed to the area. Commercial flights aren't really viable option at the moment. They might be able to wrangle a congressional plane, but that would mean additional expenditures. If another billionaire or two would send their private planes down there, like Mark Cuban did the other day, then they could probably get a ride that way.

The excuse being given is that putting them on the military planes means "essential aid" is being compromised, or some such. (as in their weight / body-space means less weight / space for aid) It's the same excuse being used to justify waiting until next week for an official visit, even though AF1 doesn't usually carry aid supplies on board. (In the case of AF1, I think the "reasoning" is that its presence on a runway means another plane can't land, but seriously...)

Thanks, Cyia. I know that we (the FAA) are working hard to open up the airports for more commercial flights. There are some going out and coming back. Mostly JetBlue. I know right now the flights are hard to come by - I was trying to get an employee home this coming Friday, and the best I could do was to get him to Chicago (rather than DC). So commercial flights are possible, if difficult to procure.

(We ended up getting him on a military plane on a return flight after dropping off supplies.)

Alpha Echo said:

So commercial flights are possible, if difficult to procure.

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The irony of this is that with the number of people trying to get to relatives on the main land, I'd think clogging chimerical flights with people who should have access to other means of air travel (like hitching a ride on a cargo plane) would be the greater injustice. Those few successful commercial flights are needed as much as incoming assistance for PR's citizens.

Trump administration forcing Puerto Rico evacuees to pay for airfare: report

MarketWatch reported on Thursday that the State Department is using a longstanding but discretionary policy to ensure that evacuees pay transportation costs, which are based on “the price of the last commercial one-way, full-fare (not discounted) economy ticket prior to the crisis.”

Passports won't be returned to evacuees until payment is received, according to the news outlet, which cited the State Department's website.

“Upon evacuation, a Department of State official must limit an evacuee’s passport. In order to obtain a new passport, an evacuee must arrange payment as agreed upon via the promissory note," the website reads.
When those repayments can be made is a different story.

According to the State Department's website, the loans are managed "by the Comptroller and Global Financial Services office in Charleston, South Carolina," but cannot currently be repaid.

"Currently, loan repayments cannot be completed due to ongoing emergencies in the region. We will update travel.state.gov/evacuate as soon as repayments can be made," the State Department says.

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I am only seeing this piece and the original (which has more specifics) so I am hoping maybe this is not true. But since social media and public pressure has helped get a belated, brief Jones Act waiver, I am posting. Maybe we can get this beaten back or at the least find ways to help those who don't have passports or won't have the funds to pay back the "not discounted" airfares.

Senator Chris Murphy tweeted a disaster relief plan for Puerto Rico. It's legislative, but the items are things we can call our reps about and keep an eye on going forward.