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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Sun Sep 16, 2018, 09:51 AM Sep 2018

FEMA chief on Puerto Rico death toll: 'It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not'

Source: The Hill

BY MICHAEL BURKE - 09/16/18 09:37 AM EDT

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) head Brock Long said Sunday that it is "hard to tell what's accurate" regarding figures for Puerto Rico's death toll following last year's hurricanes.

Long said in an appearance on "Fox News Sunday" that there were "several different studies out there" that are "all over the place" when it comes to the island's death toll.

“There’s a lot of issues with numbers being all over the place," Long said. "It’s hard to tell what’s accurate and what’s not. But we have got to come together as a country to focus on the rebuilding of Puerto Rico.”

"And there is a difference between direct deaths and indirect deaths," he added.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/406893-fema-chief-on-puerto-rico-death-toll-its-hard-to-tell-whats

Coast Guard commandant: Trump administration was very committed to the people of Puerto Rico

BY MEGAN KELLER - 09/16/18 09:41 AM EDT

Admiral Karl Schultz, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, said Sunday that the Trump administration brought the full force of government resources to bear in its response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

"I know that the [federal] efforts that I saw were very much committed to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico," Schultz told ABC's "This Week" when asked if he agreed with President Trump that the federal efforts in Puerto Rico were a success.

He also pointed to the logistical challenge posed by the effort.

"The response in Maria was massive," he explained. "It's an island, which makes things challenging. The supplies that were lifted in by sea and air."

"It's a challenging area," he added.

Schultz did not comment on the accuracy of a George Washington University study that estimated almost 3,000 people died as a result of the storm.

more
http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/406894-coast-guard-commondant-feds-were-very-committed-to-the-people-of

17 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

FEMA chief on Puerto Rico death toll: 'It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not' (Original Post) DonViejo Sep 2018 OP

FEMA chief fighting for his job amid transportation scandal. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Sep 2018 #1

I think the FEMA Chief and the Commandant of the Coast Guards received their marching orders... DonViejo Sep 2018 #3

Direct death vs indirect death luvtheGWN Sep 2018 #5

Plus a big reason deaths were not reported intially was communications were knocked out. Bernardo de La Paz Sep 2018 #6

How much FEMA assistance is Puerto Rico getting now? SHRED Sep 2018 #2

FEMA Begins Scaling Back Financial Assistance In Puerto Rico Aug 17, 2018 csziggy Sep 2018 #9

It's easy to tell what's accurate: If Trump says it's so, it ain't. JustABozoOnThisBus Sep 2018 #4

Piss poor response Racerdog1 Sep 2018 #7

Grenada was an island, too. Repugs jumped on that one pretty quick. Mc Mike Sep 2018 #8

The "difference between direct deaths and indirect deaths," Brock, dchill Sep 2018 #10

Does an indirect death mean you aren't really dead? DBoon Sep 2018 #11

Denying science once again. It's what they do. LuckyLib Sep 2018 #12

"Good job, Longie" BigmanPigman Sep 2018 #13

Very Giuliani-esque appal_jack Sep 2018 #14

Lame assed excuses Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Sep 2018 #15

Just like the science that explains global climate change, right Brock? mjvpi Sep 2018 #16

All the studies show 1800-5000+ dead NickB79 Sep 2018 #17

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,002 posts)

1. FEMA chief fighting for his job amid transportation scandal. . . . nt

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:03 AM

Sep 2018

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)

3. I think the FEMA Chief and the Commandant of the Coast Guards received their marching orders...

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #1)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:06 AM

Sep 2018

"Go on TV and defend the Prez."

luvtheGWN

(1,336 posts)

5. Direct death vs indirect death

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #1)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:19 AM

Sep 2018

Hmmmm: A death is a death. What is direct vs indirect? If a tree falls on a house caused by heavy winds, and kills the 4 people inside is that direct or indirect? If the loss of electricity caused the failure of a dialysis machine for 2-4 weeks to which a person relied upon to keep living, is that direct or indirect?

Surely a country as advanced as the US could make those distinctions, but at the same time, a death is a death........

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,002 posts)

6. Plus a big reason deaths were not reported intially was communications were knocked out.

Reply to luvtheGWN (Reply #5)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:21 AM

Sep 2018

Much more so than in the Carolinas or Florida or Texas, for example.

SHRED

(28,136 posts)

2. How much FEMA assistance is Puerto Rico getting now?

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:05 AM

Sep 2018

Why aren't we hearing about what is happening now, if anything?

csziggy

(34,136 posts)

9. FEMA Begins Scaling Back Financial Assistance In Puerto Rico Aug 17, 2018

Reply to SHRED (Reply #2)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 11:24 AM

Sep 2018

FEMA Begins Scaling Back Financial Assistance In Puerto Rico

Adrian Florido
August 17, 2018

Eleven months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has said that the island's emergency is over. And because of that, the agency has begun scaling back its financial assistance to the island.

On Wednesday, FEMA denied a request from the island's governor for the federal agency to continue covering 100 percent of the cost of emergency work — including power restoration, debris cleanup and other recovery efforts.

Instead, FEMA has said that going forward, it will cover 90 percent of those costs, while Puerto Rico's government will be responsible for the remaining 10 percent. FEMA estimates that share could cost the island's government about $100 million.

"I think this is a good sign," said Mike Byrne, the top FEMA official on the island. "It's a sign that ... we're entering a recovery phase. The emergency requirements are no longer in place. We're no longer delivering food and water, power is back with the exception of a very few people. All of the essential infrastructure functions are up and running."
More: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639473616/nearly-a-year-after-maria-fema-reduces-assistance-to-puerto-rico

How Trump favored Texas over Puerto Rico
A POLITICO investigation shows a persistent double standard in the president’s handling of relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria.
By DANNY VINIK
03/27/2018 05:00 AM EDT

<SNIP>
Within six days of Hurricane Harvey, U.S. Northern Command had deployed 73 helicopters over Houston, which are critical for saving victims and delivering emergency supplies. It took at least three weeks after Maria before it had more than 70 helicopters flying above Puerto Rico.

Nine days after the respective hurricanes, FEMA had approved $141.8 million in individual assistance to Harvey victims, versus just $6.2 million for Maria victims.

During the first nine days after Harvey, FEMA provided 5.1 million meals, 4.5 million liters of water and over 20,000 tarps to Houston; but in the same period, it delivered just 1.6 million meals, 2.8 million liters of water and roughly 5,000 tarps to Puerto Rico.

Nine days after Harvey, the federal government had 30,000 personnel in the Houston region, compared with 10,000 at the same point after Maria.

It took just 10 days for FEMA to approve permanent disaster work for Texas, compared with 43 days for Puerto Rico.

Seventy-eight days after each hurricane, FEMA had approved 39 percent of federal applications for relief from victims of Harvey, versus 28 percent for Maria.
More: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/27/donald-trump-fema-hurricane-maria-response-480557

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,344 posts)

4. It's easy to tell what's accurate: If Trump says it's so, it ain't.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:11 AM

Sep 2018

On one point, I agree with Trump: Puerto Rico is an island.

Racerdog1

(808 posts)

7. Piss poor response

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 10:25 AM

Sep 2018

Along with rumplethinskins follow up have led to a huge disaster and many deaths that were preventable. These folks are US citizens, These deaths are a direct result of this asshole in the white house piss poor and uncaring attitude.