- All right, good morning everybody.
Thank you for being here so that we can give
a report, an update on the priorities, on the results
and also make some critical and important announcements.
I want to state that I'm gonna have to
be leaving the press conference a little bit earlier,
so I'm gonna make some comments, some statements.
Then we're gonna pause for a few questions.
I'm gonna head on out and then
Secretary of Public Affairs and our team
will continue on giving the update.
First of all, wanted to reiterate what our priorities are.
Food and water delivery continue on being
a critical priority for Puerto Rico
as well as having our hospital system in place
either energized or working with generators,
making sure that the hub system is working,
that we can utilize all of the assets
such as the USS Comfort and Centro Medico
for the most pressing needs,
making sure we continue on the effort to upgrade
our pickup telecoms, energy,
water and sewers and ports in Puerto Rico,
as well as looking forward or looking ahead
to some of the pressing challenges that we might be having.
So we're working together with our GAR and our team
to get all of the documentation that is necessary
for our recovery efforts and for our relief efforts.
We are also on the way to establishing
a functional educational system.
As we stated, on the 16th, we're gonna get
a report on the state of the schools,
and then by the 23rd, we expect to get it started as well.
A consideration over public health emergencies
and I'll talk a little bit about that in my statements,
but this continues on being one of the
critical priorities for us
to avoid, to detect, and to act upon,
of public health emergency during this effort.
Those are the priorities and then I would like to
comment on two particular areas.
First, number one, yesterday, the White House sent
to Congress a petition to include
a 4.9 billion dollar community disaster
relief loan for Puerto Rico.
This, just to put it into context, what this means.
First of all, this program offers relief
to those jurisdictions that based on the disaster
don't have the wherewithal to either get revenues or
have a functioning taxing system in place.
That is the case here in Puerto Rico,
and this really based on the nature of the program,
other jurisdictions in the United States
won't be able to qualify for this.
It will only be Puerto Rico so this will be included
in the DERF proposal that should be looked upon
on Monday or Tuesday.
And that represents again
at an access of 4.9 billion dollars
in different programs to municipalities,
to different entities, to government entities
so that we can have the liquidity to push forward.
It is called a community disaster loan,
but historically what has happened is that
92% of these loans have been condoned.
Therefore, there is,
based on some metrics that need to be achieved,
a space so that this immediate relief
does not have to end up being paid,
and historically again 92% of these loans have been canceled
once they have been given to Puerto Rico.
This petition or this, right,
petition from the White House to Congress was based
on a specific petition that I've made
in the past couple of days to the White House.
I have spoken to you about it
and I will reiterate what our petitions
to the White House and to Congress are.
Remember, I talked to you about three areas
where we need critical help from the federal government
and in this case from Congress.
Two immediate term areas, the first one being,
two immediate relief areas,
the first one being this liquidity component,
it'll be included in the DERF.
We ask for between four to five billion dollars
in liquidity relief.
This response from the White House
is based on a specific petition we made
and it's 4.9 billion dollars.
So now the White House has submitted
for consideration in Congress,
and Congress needs to act upon it
but that one seems to be headed in the right direction.
The second one was an initial,
an immediate relief program that we asked Congress.
It is a relief program composed of several programs
from the federal government including CDBG programs,
social services program from HHS,
DOT, Small Business Administration,
USDA, and Department of Education,
that comprise 4.2 to 4.6 billion dollars
in immediate relief for Puerto Rico.
Now this is separate
from what we had already asked in the liquidity front.
This immediate relief would go to help Puerto Rico
establish a platform to answer the emergency
and to attend to our already decaying economy.
So we have already achieved,
at least from the support of the White House,
now it needs to go to the Congress,
support to get the 4.9 billion dollars in liquidity
through the community disaster loan program.
But we are still asking,
we are still asking and it is imperative
that we get immediate relief
in the form of several government programs
that will allow us to stabilize the situation,
attend to the emergency,
and of course attend to our pressing economic needs.
The third component is a longer term component, right.
When I mean longer term component,
it means that it might not be in the next couple of weeks,
it might be in a month or in two months,
which is the long-term recovery aid package.
This is critical.
This is an important component,
and it is based on the estimates of damage
that have occurred in Puerto Rico
and what we need to rebuild Puerto Rico
and to rebuild it stronger again.
So there are three components that we have asked
the federal government and the administration.
Yesterday, we received support from the White House
from one of them,
which is the immediate liquidity issues from the DERF.
We are still asking for immediate relief from a host of
six to seven programs in the federal government
that will attend to our economic needs
and our emergency needs.
And then afterwards, similar to what's occurring with
Texas and Florida,
long-term recovery aid package for Puerto Rico
so that we can start rebuilding again.
I'll be very much willing to answer question
about these programs in a few minutes,
but just wanted to let you know that
yesterday's events or support from the White House
came from a direct petition that we made
to the White House and to Congress
in letters that we sent to the White House and to Congress,
and they have responded in the affirmative
in that first of cases.
Now I would like to take the opportunity to also,
since we are asking for this immediate relief program,
this is an immediate relief program with CDBG
and Small Business Administration and other programs,
what I'm going to do is I am going to call upon
certain members of Frente for Puerto Rico,
which, as you know, was an initiative that we had started
to address some issues in Puerto Rico as one voice
and to get results from the federal government.
Now that effort has already started getting some results
in the SHIP program.
You know, everybody in Puerto Rico,
the idea was that we can speak in one voice
and it doesn't matter what party affiliation,
doesn't matter the private sector,
public sector, or not for profit.
So I will call upon a meeting
so that we can establish a strategy and a path forward
in the next coming days in Washington
so that we can get that immediate relief package
as well as the liquidity package
which seems to be well on its way.
Also, I would like to state that
there are certain issues that are still pending
with the administration that we'll be working on.
I spoke to the Administrator Long this morning
about some of these things,
and he will be in Congress today
and he will be also talking to the White House
about some of the issues that we've petitioned
such as extensions to the Jones Act,
waiver to permanent work of FEMA,
and a particular waiver of the SNAP program
so that people can have access to restaurants or fast foods
and eat hot meals within that context.
So that is the framework of the federal effort
that's occurring right now.
I will be more than willing to answer any other questions.
Important to note again, three buckets.
We've already gotten support on one of them.
We expect support on all of them
if we want Puerto Rico to have a path forward
and to not collapse into a dire situation.
It is important that we get the appropriate resources
for Puerto Rico and I would like to thank the White House
for this first step that they have taken
to petition access of liquid funds for Puerto Rico
within the next couple of months.
That is on the federal petition front.
I would also to talk a little bit about public health.
And we have some of our public health experts over here,
our Secretary of Health and Epidemiology as well.
They will be here if there are particular questions
over the public health issues that are occurring.
So let me talk a little bit about the
leptospirosis effort that's going in Puerto Rico.
First of all, the CDC is going to evaluate the
two cases of deaths that were reported yesterday.
They are still evaluating to see if, in effect,
it was the bacteria that caused their death.
I should caution that there are other illnesses
such as dengue that have similar outcomes, similar symptoms.
So it is important that although we are
taking preventative steps,
although every time we see the symptoms, you know,
the state is working on preventative methods and on
the appropriate medicine to work with these cases,
it is still not confirmed if they are, in fact,
given by the bacteria.
There are two other cases that we're informing of death
potentially by the bacteria, so
we will be continuing on to
let you know a little bit more about this.
But two cases, one in Carolina and one in Mayaguez,
that, you know, the CDC and the Forensics Center
will be working on to see
if they are, in fact, due to the bacteria.
I would also like to state
that today we will be distributing
a lot of information for the people of Puerto Rico.
We will have it on the website.
We will be going to the townships, as we stated,
so that people have access to information on how to prevent
some of these diseases, right.
Particularly how we can make sure
that you have access to clean water,
how to eliminate fungus,
and how to disinfect water.
So a lot of these flyers will be either posted online.
Our petition is that people that have access
to internet and have access to a printer,
you know, be good citizens and help us
distribute this information.
We will start sending this information as well
to local municipalities, to different mayors
so that they can distribute it along with
the food supplies and the water supplies
that are being given out.
So information is critical at this juncture.
It is important to know that, you know,
these bacteria occur on events like this
and particularly on tropical weather such as this
and that there are ways to treat it.
Right now, potentially there have been 10 cases.
Two of those cases have been treated
and are actually at their homes already.
You know, you can use penicillin or doxycycline
to treat this disease.
And at the same time, we would like to reiterate
that there is actually a preventative measure
for those that are in continuous contact
with dirty water and so forth
which is, you know, doxycycline.
And again the treatments and the mechanisms
can be discussed by our experts,
but certainly it is important to know
that this can be treated.
This can be treated with antibiotics.
There are antibiotics available.
We have invoked the emergency prescription program
that we spoke about a few days ago
from the federal government.
All of these things are being worked.
Another item that I would like to address
is that we're not waiting for illnesses and disease
to occur in Puerto Rico.
We're being proactive about this.
Our state coordinator has established
a path forward with HHS
so that we can identify all potential illnesses
that could arise in Puerto Rico.
The mitigation strategy, the way to work with them,
and how to deploy assets immediately,
so those are efforts that are ongoing.
As well as today, within the next couple of days,
the Department of Health in Puerto Rico and the DOD
will be distributing pills that will help purify water.
Some of these pills are in this form.
Very clear instructions that will be handed out as well
in one of the flyers on how to use it,
how you can use these pills
and how you can make that into purified water.
So we're taking all steps.
Information is paramount here.
We can avoid a lot of these diseases,
but we need to know what we're essentially encountering
and how we can counteract that.
So those are the two major statements that I wanted to make.
I will make them briefly in Spanish,
and then I will attend to questions.
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- [Moderator] Okay, we will take three question
about this theme and then the Secretary of Publica
will continue with the briefing.
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- [Moderator] CBS.
- [Reporter] Good morning Governor.
- Good morning.
- [Reporter] It was just announced that
all members of the House will be briefed today
by the Trump Administration on the situation in Puerto Rico.
First of all, your reaction, and second of all,
what would you tell the House if you were there?
- I would tell the House that it is imperative to act,
that partial action is really no action,
that we need complete action for Puerto Rico.
I would tell the House and the Senate that
the 4.9 billion dollars that is being given
to liquidity for Puerto Rico is no substitute
for the immediate relief
that we need on several federal programs.
I would tell the House to act immediately
as they did with other events and
recognize the magnitude of the damage here in Puerto Rico.
I would tell the House and the Senate to recognize
what some of their, you know, colleagues
have seen here in Puerto Rico firsthand,
which is the level of devastation,
to recognize the particular situation Puerto Rico is in,
and to understand that even
as we're making efforts now to get out of the emergency,
if we do not fulfill those three components,
number one, the immediate liquidity needs for Puerto Rico,
number two, the immediate relief for economy and emergency,
and number three, a real long-term
recovery package for Puerto Rico
that treats Puerto Rico equally,
what will happen is what I've been saying in the past.
You will have in your hands a more severe crisis,
not only a crisis here in Puerto Rico,
but also a massive exodus of Puerto Ricans
to the United States.
These are all within the realms of possibilities.
We already had increased exodus.
That had always been a problem.
If the appropriate actions are not taken,
it'll be hard for the people of Puerto Rico
to see a path forward to rebuilding.
And therefore, it'll be easier for them
to make a determination to go to
one of many states but primarily Florida, Texas, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and so forth.
So my petition to Congress is
recognize the immediate needs
that we have here in Puerto Rico,
recognize that we need action
on at least two of those three
on the immediate timeframe in the next couple of weeks,
and that we, going forward into the future,
we need equal treatment
as was with Texas, as was with Florida
in the case of Puerto Rico.
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- [Moderator] Miami Herald.
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Caribbean Business.
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