Victims of Hurricane Maria carry supplies brought to them via helicopter. Photo: Ramon Espinosa / AP
Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, the island is still very much in crisis mode. 85% of PR is still without power, more than 40% is still without potable water, and roughly one in four grocery stores are still closed.
The official death toll has remained at 36, but the actual number is expected to be much higher, with uncounted bodies being found in places that still have no way to communicate.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is lobbying Capitol Hill for more than $4 billion from various agencies and loan program to "meet the immediate emergency needs of Puerto Rico," according to a letter obtained by CNN. Rosselló said the island is on the brink of "a massive liquidity crisis."
Boots on the ground: More than 19,000 federal civilian personnel and military service members, including more than 1,395 FEMA personnel, are on the ground in PR and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
State help: 22 U.S. states are supporting 69 requests for mutual aid in PR. 14 states are supporting 37 requests for mutual aid in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Electricity: 15% of the island has power, and roughly 28% of cell towers have been restored.
Food: Approximately 77% of grocery stores are open, up from 65% Friday.
Gas: Roughly 78% of retail gas stations are operational.
Transportation: Only 392 miles of Puerto Rico's 5,073 miles of roads are open. All airports and federally maintained ports are open or open with restrictions.
Water and waste: Approximately 56.8% of Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) customers have potable water, and additional water is being provided by bottled and bulk water. 60% of waste water treatment plants are working on generator power.
Medical care: All hospitals (67) are open and operating, but only 25 are working with electricity. The others remain on backup power systems, and most are without air conditioning. 96% of Dialysis Centers are open, but several are still running on generators.
Supplies centers: As of October 6, Rosello had established 10 regional staging areas around the island, serving all 78 municipalities. The National Guard is delivering supplies to those centers.
Go deeper: Puerto Ricans are leaving, some possibly forever (The Daily Beast); U.S. mail carriers heroes in PR (Reuters); Hedge funds lose on PR (NYT Dealbook).
Kudlow after a Trump speech in the Rose Garden today. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump has deputized his chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow and his top trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer to take a fresh look at at re-entering Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
Why it matters: Re-opening the door to TPP after closing it last year would be a major pivot.
But, but, but: "Just how serious Mr Trump’s plans are for the TPP remains unclear." [FT's Shawn Donnan]
What they're saying:
Sen. Ben Sasse: “We should be leading TPP... China is a bunch of cheaters and the best way to push back on their cheating would be to be leading all these other rule-of-law nations in the Pacific that would rather be aligned with the U.S. than with China.”
Sen. Jeff Flake, who wasn't present: “If it holds until this afternoon, that’s a good move."
AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka: “TPP was killed because it failed America’s workers and it should remain dead. There is no conceivable way to revive it without totally betraying working people.”
A top Japanese diplomat told Axios before Trump directed his top advisers to take a fresh look at the deal that they would welcome him back with open arms.
Be smart, from Axios' Dan Primack: "This suggests Trump is increasingly concerned about China's response to his tariffs threat and, in particular, its impact on farmers. But a big problem is that Trump's original decision to bail on TPP resulted in many provisions the U.S. had fought for getting stripped from the final deal, including language around intellectual property protections."
Why it matters: Comey also writes that Kelly said he "didn't want to work for dishonorable people," referring directly to President Trump, per The Beast. And although this was before Kelly accepted a position as Trump's chief of staff to the president, the excerpts threaten to exacerbate an already tense relationship between the president and Kelly.
