Transcript: Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito Announce City Efforts to Support Hurricane Maria Relief

September 21, 2017

Mayor Bill de Blasio: There are 3.5 million Americans living through a nightmare. The people of Puerto Rico, an island we feel so close to here in New York City, are going through something absolutely unprecedented. Hurricane Maria is at minimum one of the worst storms ever – may be the worst storm ever in recorded history to hit Puerto Rico. And what we’re seeing already is devastating images. The flooding alone is imperiling so many people. The physical damage that looks like it will take not just weeks but months to be repaired. Puerto Rico has been through so much, but now it’s going through even more, and we have to be there for the people of Puerto Rico. There are 700,000 New Yorkers who are of Puerto Rican descent and feel a direct, powerful tie to their homeland, and they are feeling this crisis. I’ve talked to so many Puerto Rican New Yorkers who right now are just yearning to speak to their loved ones down there and haven’t been able to because electricity is out. There’s a lot of fear, a lot of pain right now. So the City of New York is ready to support the people of Puerto Rico. My message to all Puerto Ricans is New York City stands with you, and we will be there to help.

We’re ready to send help immediately. In fact, there are nine NYPD and FDNY personnel on the ground right now because they had already been there for Hurricane Irma and stayed in anticipation of being able to help address the crisis of Hurricane Maria. Twenty-even more New York City first responders are waiting right now at Stewart airport to be deployed through coordination with FEMA. They’re ready to go the minute FEMA can get them landing capacity in Puerto Rico, and they will go to work right away coordinated through FEMA.

But we need to do even more. We have been in touch – and I want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for the role she has played as well. We’ve been in touch with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and her whole team. Again, New York City is a sister city with San Juan in every sense. One of the cities on earth we are closet to, we have the most people connected to. San Juan took a horrible hit and is a city that is very, very vulnerable right now. The effects of Hurricane Maria will be felt – the immediate effects will be felt for days and days, the flooding and the impact, the danger of this storm will go on for many days, and we need to be there for the people of San Juan in particular. So we’re organizing an effort immediately. A team from the Office of Emergency Management will be deployed as quickly as they can be brought down to Puerto Rico. That team is ready to go and awaiting again, like the FEMA team the authorization to land. That team will work with the Mayor’s Office of San Juan to address the needs of San Juan in particular. Obviously, it is the core of the Puerto Rican population and where there is a tremendous amount of need.

We will also be asking City employees to volunteer their time and energy – any who are willing to go down and help in a volunteer capacity, we will facilitate that effort. We are working to get free airfare and accommodation, and obviously will be very flexible about the time they need to take off to do that. We know there are many City employees including many of Puerto Rican descent who want to go and serve right now. We’re going to help them do that. We’re also making clear to all City employees that they can deduct from their pay check starting today to donate Puerto Rico. I want to tell all New Yorkers who want to help – please go to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City website – nyc.gov/fund – to donate to Puerto Rico.

We also will be setting up locations in all five boroughs for donations of actual specific material to help Puerto Rico, and there’s four things – and four things only – we’re looking for. Diapers, baby food, batteries, and first aid supplies – that’s what the people of Puerto Rico need immediately that we need to make a special contribution toward.

Look, this storm was devastating on top of a previous storm. Not only Puerto Rico, I also want to mention the pain the people in the US Virgin Islands and so many other places. We’ll look to help all we can in so many ways, but right now are hearts, our prayers are with the people of Puerto Rico. We need to also put all of our energy into helping in every way we can. Before I bring up the speaker, a few words in Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

With that, I want to thank her for her leadership in organizing these efforts to support Puerto Rico and San Juan in particular – Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and all the colleagues in government and the leaders that are behind us – the Puerto Rican leaders in particular. To say that this is a trying time is an understatement. For all of us standing here, it is deeply personal. Some of us have been able to contact our family members. Others have not. The reality is that the Puerto Rico that we knew two days ago is not the Puerto Rico we see today. This is a hurricane which was the most catastrophic in the history of the island. It is one that consumed the whole island – not one area of the island was saved. If you see the images of the devastation, of the flooding, now we’re really starting to get a sense of what the challenges are.

And so a mass migration of Puerto Ricans – the height of it was here in New York City and in New York State. And we obviously felt compelled to get to work, so I want to thank the Mayor and working in coordination with him and the leadership of all the representatives that are here – particularly Congresswoman Velasquez, I want to give her definitely recognition – to come together to figure out the best ways that New York City most directly could afford services and support.

And so I am grateful for the deployment of the FEMA team that is based here in New York. I’m also obviously going to be grateful to all of those that contribute to the fund. We have to find the way that the donations more directly can get to the people that are impacted. San Juan is a sister city, but we know that there are – all the municipalities have been impacted as well. So through the work of the Hispanic Federation, which is an organization that has done a lot of disaster relief efforts in the past particularly hurricane relief efforts. They have a lot of experience. The idea of collecting donations and ensuring that those donations are then gotten to – or are received by organizations on the ground that can more directly get those resources to the people.

It’s just hard to stand here. I’ll be honest. I’ve been very emotional the past couple of days, and there’s a lot of work here.

The federal government has a responsibly to get aid and get support to Puerto Rico. The challenge of relief efforts – it is an island. We can’t drive trucks there with whatever products we’re able to get donated. The products that we have that will be gotten at these locations throughout the city, and there’s other efforts. We have to figure out ways to get that there. We’re going to need the support or the corporate sector, the private sector. The Jet Blues and Deltas that do connect with our island. We need them to step up to the plate so that we can get products to Puerto Rico.

This is a long term effort. This is really something that – I don’t really think we fully comprehend the challenges and how long term this is – to have 100 percent of the island without electricity, to not be able to connect and here from our loved ones. When you think of the hospitals and the nursing homes and the people that need our medical equipment, that need access to batteries or to electricity – I don’t want to think of the dire consequences that lie ahead, but that’s how serious it is.

So the government needs to step up, and we need to make sure that we get the support. I just want to mention – I know the Mayor mentioned the Mayor’s fund – but also I just want to say in terms of the Hispanic Federation that people can actually text to 41444 in order to make a donation to the Hispanic Federation, and you type the message “unidos”, and that will – you can get a donation to them. So that is the most immediate way or visiting HispanicFederation.org/donate.

[Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito speaks in Spanish]

Mayor: Thank you very much, Speaker.

Before we take questions on this crisis and our efforts to help the people of Puerto Rico and then on other topics, I want to first acknowledge and thank the leadership of Commissioner Joe Esposito of OEM. OEM is doing a lot of great work here and is going to send that team down to lead the way. To the elected officials who are here, all are working hard to support Puerto Rico. Thank you to Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, to Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblymember Marcos Crespo, Assemblymember Jose Rivera, Assemblymember Erik Dilan, Councilmember Ritchie Torres, and a special thank you to the president of 32BJ SEIU Hector Figueroa for all of his efforts and his unions’ efforts.

With that, any questions on this immediate relief effort?

Question: Madame Speaker, [inaudible] we’ve been reading your tweets. I know that your mom is down there. Have you been able to talk to her or any other family members?

Speaker Mark-Viverito: She has communicated and others. I know my family – all my family members, which are in different parts of the island – are safe, and all the friends, I know they’re safe. But communication is obviously very difficult. There’s only so much generators can take you, right? And cell phone service is very spotty and being able to charge your phones to at least get communication is going to be difficult and challenging, so the communication is sparse. The Congresswoman still hasn’t heard from her family. You know there’s members here that don’t know and don’t know the status of where families are at, so it’s very difficult for us right now and very emotional. Since yesterday morning – I mean I haven’t slept in the last three days, not slept very well – and it’s just, we just – it becomes a little bit overwhelming at times.

Question: What is your [inaudible]?

Speaker Mark-Viverito: I mean you literally don’t have that much time to be on the phone because you have to save the cell service. She says she’s safe. She stayed with some relatives or some friends. She has not been able to go back to her home. As we all know, the governor has said that we – they’re not allowing people, and people should not leave where they are until 6 o’clock Saturday morning, and that is – obviously people should heed that because that allows the emergency personnel to do their work. And plus it’s still dangerous out there. There’s still winds. There still could be flash flooding. It’s still raining, so it really is dangerous and with the electricity down, you know, there’s a lot of power lines – it’s very, very tenuous situation right now. So there are many people that I hear, I see on Facebook and that are saying – people that work in the City Council – that still have not heard from their family members. I’m sure it’s the same in the administration.

Question: Can you extend a little bit about what you said about City employees and the flexibility for people who – and for the congresswoman have you –

Mayor: Let me do this, and we’ll turn to that.

Look, we’re going to facilitate any efforts that City employees are ready to make on a volunteer basis. The team we’re sending from OEM will be an official City team that will work directly with the first responders of San Juan, and again they’ll go down immediately as soon as they get clearance to land, but we want to offer to all City employees who want to go – and there’s a particular interest, of course, in first responders and people who bring very specific skills to the situation. For example some of our colleagues from the Buildings Department could bring particular help at this time – that those who can volunteer and are willing, we will accommodate them in every way possible. We’ll be flexible about their schedules if we need to make unpaid leave time available, whatever it happens to be. But that effort is going to start today to recruit them through the City agencies, obviously working with unions and fraternal organizations as well, and we think there will be a number of employees who want to take part in that effort.

To the congresswoman, please?

Question: [Inaudible] federal level about –

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez: Of course, every single day, yes.

Question: [Inaudible]

Congresswoman Velazquez: Well, I have to say the federal government has been responsive, but I just want to make sure that we all in this country understand this is an unprecedented event that requires a monumental response. It’s not enough to send three navy ships to Puerto Rico with equipment like power generators [inaudible] to clean the street.

The main focus right now today and tomorrow will be for search and rescue operations. Today the Army Corps is assessing the port and the Luis Munoz International Airport that was damaged. So they need to know if there’s structural damage that will cause – allow for it to be partially open. They expect probably that it will open – part of it – between today and tomorrow.  So we have a strong presence of agencies in Puerto Rico. But the most important part is the federal relief in terms of funding. So, Puerto Rico faced already during Irma, a $1 billion in damages. I can tell you today that this is going to take more than $10 billion. So the federal government has to revisit this.

I want to thank the Mayor, the first responders, all the people that are here, and the media because by covering this event the way you’ve done, you’re putting to – into the forefront the fact that these are American citizens. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and the first responsibility of the federal government is when natural disasters strike for the federal government to show up and to make that country whole.

We – I am asking for the federal government to rescind and provide a waiver from the Jones Act so that Puerto Rico could get oil, so that Puerto Rico could get other commodities to Puerto Rico expeditiously. I will be requiring – I will be asking for the federal government to waive the requirement – the state requirement – when it gets federal funding of 25 percent. Puerto Rico is already facing not only the damages from Irma, but also a financial crisis that was caused not only by the government itself but by the hedge funds, the vultures and the fact that Puerto Rico is not treated fairly and equitable when it comes to Medicaid funding. And we need to address that issue before we come home in December.

Mayor: I want to amplify that last point. Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis and the humanitarian crisis that existed before these storms – there was already a healthcare crisis in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, it was largely the product of mistaken federal policies, and the federal government has to make up for that mistake. Puerto Rico’s economy was fundamentally undermined by changes in federal government over the last 20 years. It has left them very vulnerable. They cannot be asked to contribute to disaster relief if they don’t have any money to contribute with, and it cannot be a reason for withholding federal funding when there is a humanitarian crisis going on. So there’s just got to be an honesty here. Three and a half million New Yorkers – excuse me, Americans who did not ask for Hurricane Irma didn’t ask for Hurricane Maria, didn’t ask to be in the middle of a fiscal crisis, but they are. Now it’s time for our nation to step up for them.

I want to also thank Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez who has joined us and our partner in a lot of this endeavor in collecting funds and other products to help the people of Puerto Rico. I want to thank Jose Calderone of the Hispanic Federation for the great work they’re doing.

Please, please.

Speaker Mark-Viverito: I think, you know, in emphasizing what the Congresswoman said, I think this unfortunately – when it comes to the issue of Puerto Rico and its relationship to the United States, it becomes very complicated. Because yes we are U.S. citizen, but there is unequal treatment in a lot of areas. So I’m hoping – and we are appreciative of the coverage – but there has to be sensitivity to that – that that has compounded, that inequity has compounded, the fiscal challenges and the fiscal crisis, and that there is legitimate concern, as the Congresswoman raised, by a lot of people. That the vulture funds are going to try to use this catastrophe as an opportunity to come in and try to makes themselves who when they’re the ones that help contribute to this mess. So those are things that are really important in the context of the complexity of this issue, we’re talking about $10 billion in federal aid overtime. That’s a responsibility the government has and that we can’t allow this unequal treatment to continue particularly when there is such a dire need. So that context is really important and we covered the story.

Mayor: Thank you. Dave?

Question: Mr. Mayor can you just expand a little of what you said about the 27 first responders [inaudible] now. What – are those police, fire accommodation –

Mayor: Police and fire –

Question: The second group, you said is FEMA –

Mayor: Okay let me, yeah. Let me, let me set it up for you. So right now, nine on the ground in Puerto who are there already because of Irma and chose to stay and are working at FEMA’s direction, those are police and fire. 27 more who are police and fire – NYPD, FDNY, at Stuart ready to move immediately? Then on top of that the separate effort we’re going to make to help San Juan specifically. Eight to 10 OEM personnel who can move if their port opens today and we could get them on a flight. They are going today or tomorrow. The first available moment they’ll go down. They’ll embed with the San Juan government to help direct anyone we bring down and again we’re then opening up to all city employees. Those who are able to volunteer that will be a volunteer effort. But we think there will be a lot of interest in helping, and we unfortunately believe there will be a lot of need that needs to be addressed. Yeah?

Question: Question for the Speaker. You’ve indicated on Twitter that you’re naturally eager to head down there. Are you planning to go down? And if so, what kind of role do you see yourself playing?

Speaker Mark-Viverito: I am and I’ve been discussing about when and I obviously would like to go very soon and not wait. And I am at disposal. I’m willing to do whatever is needed. So I would check in with proper authorities and then see in what ways I can be helpful. Obviously there is work that I want to coordinate here as well. And I want to be helpful and I want to thank the Hispanic Federation, and obviously again the Mayor. We want to make sure that we continue to support from here the diaspora in any way that we can. So obviously you know, I am a proud New Yorker, I am also a very proud Puerto Rican and right now I am being tugged in both directions and it’s very hard right now to deal with them.

Mayor: Grace?

Question: Is there anything that the city could do or work with the cell phone providers, or anything to connect New Yorkers with family members? Because it sounds like the vast majority of people have not been able to connect with loved ones.

Mayor: That’s part of why we want – before I turn to the Congresswoman. That’s why batteries are really important. People you know, we don’t know when the electrical grid will be back up. People cannot – don’t have hardline service, can’t charge their cell phones. We need to get batteries down there as much as humanly possible. We’re certainly going to work with anyone, everyone who could facilities communication. But I think even more than the communication right now is the lifesaving work and the work to make that the crisis doesn’t worsen. Do you want to add? Come on over.

Congresswoman Velazquez: That is the priority of the federal agencies including FEMA, the US Army Core to restore power back, but also telecommunications. All the towers were knocked out. They are down. So they have to go and rebuild that infrastructure that is not there.

Mayor: Okay, yes?

Question: Mr. Mayor can you repeat again what site for people to donate?

Mayor: So it’s through – again there is two and we want to remind first through the Mayor’s fund. And that is at the city website nyc.gov/fund and that will give people an opportunity to donate specifically to Puerto Rico and then the Hispanic Federation.

Speaker Mark-Viverito: Yeah, that one is a – you can do it in two ways. Obviously it’s Hispanicfederation.org/donate and then you’ll see the hurricane relief effort button there but also through – you can text 41444 and try to type unidos in the subject and the amount and your name. And that, that was a two ways. So it’s again its 41444 to text that number.

Mayor: And unidos –

Speaker Mark Viverito: Unidos.

Mayor: U-N-I-D-O-S.

Speaker Mark Viverito: Yes.

Mayor: Excellent, Juliet

Question: Mr. Mayor considering the fact that people might not be having home to go to down there. Is there any effort to coordinate something up here? You might be getting a big influx of people that are coming here because they do have family but maybe still don’t have a place to live.

Mayor: We’re not there yet right now. You know, obviously we still don’t from the best of understanding have airports open and the first mission as we understand it certainly from our conversations with FWMA and the Mayor of San  Juan, is to get the help the expert help, the professional help there to address the most immediate situations. You’ve seen flooding situation alone. That danger that’s put people in, the danger that put structures in. That is the first job. I think you’re right over the coming weeks we’ll certainly see an influx of people coming up. I assume the vast majority of cases they’ll be going to family members. But if there is something we need to do beyond that. We’ll look for an opportunity to help, but sort of doing things in order of need first.

Question: But also –

Mayor: Just let her finish.

Question: Yeah, the people who want to volunteer. City workers?

Mayor: Yes.

Question: Who is paying expenses for that?

Mayor: That’s a volunteer effort, so in other words, their time would come out of one of two options – either if they have vacation time that they’re willing to use, or we could be able to provide them with unpaid leave time. In terms of airfare, we’re working to either get donations of flights from the airlines or donors who will cover the flight cost. The Mayor’s Office of San Juan is working to set up the accommodation. But they would have to make a decision of either to use vacation time or unpaid leave time. Yes?

Question: Over the last few years because of the financial fiscal crisis on the Island. I read a report [inaudible] that over 3,000 doctors had left the Island looking for better opportunities. What kind of you know, communication – in what are you trying to communicate with the professional you know medical personnel here and to accommodate them to be able to offer their services over there on the Island.

Mayor: I’ll start and my colleagues I’m sure have a sense of the specifics. But look, what we’re hearing right now is the first need again is to deal with the physical reality. The kinds of work that first responders do, who deal with securing buildings clearing road, that kind of thing. That’s where folks is right now. If there is a need for medical personnel, again to the extent that city employees are willing and able that’s one option. I think there is a lot of people in the medical field here who might be willing to go down on their own who are not city employees. That’s going to have to build out overtime. But my sense right now, and again I think the Congresswoman and the Speaker have more detail but my sense right now is the physical dangerous to life are the most central issues and the physical inability to people to move around safely. That’s what has to be addressed first.

Speaker Mark-Viverito: Can I just say something?

Mayor: Please.

Speaker Mark-Viverito: Let’s be very clear. The first and most important responsibility here is FEMA. And we have to provide support to our congressional delegation and putting pressure on the federal to do right and what is right for the Puerto Rican on the Island. So that’s ultimately right. If the team that is leaving here is a FEMA trained team and the City of New York Will get reimbursed from FEMA for those expenses. But also we’re going beyond that as a city in terms of what responsibility, additional responsibility by asking people to give time, by making donations, by encouraging people to do what they can. The City and the State are taking an additional step. So we need to make sure that we don’t forget that FEMA has the ultimate responsibility. But first and foremost for the Island as a whole is the search and rescue and to make sure that people who need to be helped are being helped. When you’re seeing reports on Facebook where the waters are rising so high in certain parts. Where the people are no on the roofs, and we’ve seen this movie before, right. Where people are on the roofs of their homes because the overflow is so much. And so there is an immediacy here on saving lives. And we want to make sure that FEMA is doing that part. And then anything additional, obviously the Mayor is doing that obviously because it’s the right thing to do for us a city to step up.

Mayor: Okay, who has not had a question, Rich? 

Question: Usually in a situation like this looting becomes a concern, law and order. Is there any sense of sending down troops or National Guard?

Congresswoman Velazquez: The Governor imposed a curfew, and no one can be on the streets of Puerto Rico after 6 pm.

Mayor: So, again, I don’t know as the Speaker said that would be first and foremost about FEMA’s effort and the federal effort. But again we are going to send first responders who are willing to go down in addition to our efforts with FEMA and they will work with their counterparts in the San Juan government. So for example when NYPD personnel will go down, they will be working with the Police Department of San Juan and that deployment. So that’s something we’ll see how it plays out. But I agree with the Speaker and the Congresswoman. I think the curfew has been an important step and I think will be heeded.

Question: You have a special advisor Lorraine Cortez Vazquez who has been a liaison to the Hispanic community for you. I don’t see her here today.

Mayor: She’s been very actively involved; yeah, she’s been one of the people coordinating this with us. Okay, go ahead.

Question: Can you say specifically what she’s doing?

Mayor: We’re actually literally working out the specifics as we go along in this crisis. But she has been part of all the meetings and discussions to make this effort work.

Question: Have you heard anything about Con Ed or possibly even PSEG overlapping [inaudible] that there was 100 percent no power.

Mayor: Yeah that’s something; we want to work with them on for sure. Because that’s another part of the talent base that’s needed is those utility workers. So we don’t have as money of them obviously in city employ. But we want to work with them as well. Do you want?

Congresswoman Velazquez: Sure, yeah I would look to mention that the state governments such as Connecticut, New Jersey. They have experienced a desire to help. But the problem is that we need to hear from FEMA, has to be coordinated. Because until they made the assessment in terms of structural damages, we cannot start sending C5 and C3 with trucks and all the equipment that we need.

Mayor: Okay a few more, yes [inaudible].

Question: The location for the donation drop box point. Either [inaudible] or do people find out if they want to [inaudible]?

Mayor: So okay, what – again we know I want to emphasize the four things we’re looking for that much we do know; diapers, baby food, batteries and first aid supplies. The Hispanic Federation is working with us to identify sites. We do not yet have them. We hope to have them as early as today. If we have public sites we can use, we will. I saw some private sites. But that list will be out hopefully by the end of the day.

Speaker Mark-Viverito: Can I? I think it’s important. And again I know there is a lot of people that want to help and give material support, right.  And so I think we have to be patient. There are most more immediate things. And I will just say Mr. Mayor considering all the great work that we’ve done jointly with feminine hygiene products. That might be something additional that we have to consider that might be in need as well. But – so the issue of trying to wait and trying to be very clear about the items that you want to donate, right. I know people start giving a lot of other things but that may be not – are not very helpful. It complicates the relief efforts because then you have to figure out what to do with it. So the more focused we can be on very, very specific material items. And then encourage donations. That money will get on the ground directly you know into the communities that need it. And there are some more remote communities that are really going to need additional support, so that’s important.

Mayor: I want to emphasize also, this is again. This will play out for weeks. I wish it was not true. But you know, we all remember how long our recovery from Sandy took, we all remember Katrina in New Orleans. I mean, we just have to realize the magnitude of this. Again it’s likely the worst storm that Puerto Rico has ever faced. The physical devastation is not the kind of thing that can be recovered from anytime soon. So the need for supplies will be on going. The need for variety forms of help will be on-going. I also want to say, I appreciate very much the media urgency on this and focus on explaining what is going on. But it’s also important to tell people the help will be needed. Not just today, not just this week, it will be needed for weeks and weeks ahead and months ahead. Yeah?

Question: So for New Yorkers who would like to physically go down and help but don’t work for the city. Is the City able to able to coordinate that? Or would they have to look somewhere else to [inaudible]?

Mayor: We are working that through right now, again our volunteer effort will be focused on San Juan, which is obviously the biggest core of population in Puerto Rico and we have a very, very close working relationship with San Juan. If we can generalize that to take in non-city employees too, of course we would love to. The Hispanic Federation too will be a part of that effort looking for voluntary organization that could receive volunteers. I think the answer will be yes ultimately. But we believe the first quick you know, right after the FEMA effort. Which is literally right now ready to go could go this minute if the plane was ready. This is the next thing we want to get going over the next few days. And then we can expand it out from there.

Congresswoman Velazquez: Can I say something Mr. Mayor?

Mayor: Please, please.

Congresswoman Velazquez:  I just would like to remind everyone here, despite the financial crisis, despite being damaged by Irma. Puerto Rico help St. Martin, all the Virgin Islands. We have in Puerto Rico 2,500 people that came to Puerto Rico because that is who we are and it is that spirt of compassion and solidarity that we have to show one more time. Because I strongly believe we are down today but we are resilient and our spirt and our love and our compassion will help us get through this stronger than ever.

Mayor: Amen

Question: Speaker, you mentioned that the most important thing – you all have – is FEMA. Can you make – just elaborate a little more about how confident you are that FEMA will be able to carry out fully what’s needed on the island. 

Speaker Mark Viverito: I will let the Congresswoman speak to that directly. What I know that we need to do not only as elected officials, but also just in terms of the community as a whole is that we need to lend support and also make our voice heard to the federal government that they have this responsibility that is due. My confidence is, you know, I have to wish for the best, and there is this need that is the responsibility to this agency, and we have to make sure that we keep reminding them that they owe this to us. It’s something that is entitled to us as your citizens. And the other thing, just to add onto something that the Congresswoman said before – you know, yes, there are going to be people that want to volunteer, but I think we have to be mindful that we also have to take the lead from the leadership on the ground on the island, right? We need to listen to them as to what are the best ways that we can be helpful to them because, as the Congresswoman said, we’ve been taking in some of the people that have been displaced by the natural disasters in other islands. There’s limitations that Puerto Rico has right now in terms of being able to house people. And so, there are those complications – there are people that want to volunteer, but then those are logistics that we have to figure out here. Where are they going to be housed? How are they going to be accommodated? How are they going to be fed, right? Those are things that the relief effort from this end, if we go there, would also have to be taken into account. We cannot leave that responsibility onto the people on the island because they’ve got enough to deal with, right? So, those are things that we have to be mindful of – the dynamic here and the relationship. 

Mayor: Let me note on the FEMA question – first of all, thanks to – a very profound thanks to Congressmember Velasquez, and now we’re joined by Congressmember Espaillat. They’ll be leading the charge here to make sure FEMA does all it can do. And look, here’s what we learned in Sandy – FEMA is very effective, but FEMA is not limitless, and I think I did not fully understand it, honestly, until I went through Sandy. I think most of us as Americans, we assume FEMA has all sorts of capacity, and personnel, and materials, and planes, and all sorts – it’s not just how it works. FEMA has to pull together resources and use them on the ground and they have to a lot to get those resources assembled. It’s not instantaneous. And FEMA, obviously, is stretched in different directions right now with what we’ve seen in Florida, what we’ve seen in Texas already. So, the point to me is – don't think of FEMA as able to handle everything on their own. That would not be the right way to think about it. Think of FEMA as the leading edge of the effort. We want FEMA to do the maximum conceivable, but, on top of that, these other efforts are going to be needed to augment, there’s no question about that. 

Okay, last call – let’s just see if there’s anything else before we finish. Yes?

Question: I’m wondering – I know I asked you this yesterday, but do you have any plans to go to Puerto Rico yourself, Mayor?

Mayor: Not at this moment, but I am very much in the same feeling that the Speaker has – I want to do whatever’s most helpful. Right now, I think getting all of these initiatives underway i the most important thing. And there isn’t even a way to get down at this exact moment, but, going forward, I’m going to look at the situation and decide how I think I can have the biggest and best impact. 

Go ahead. 

Congresswoman Velasquez: I don’t think it’s advisable for elected officials to go to Puerto Rico at this point, and that is what FEMA is telling us. Of course I would love to go there. The storm entered through my hometown and I haven’t been able to talk to any of my family. But they’re telling us they are – the first stage is search and rescue operations, removal of debris, assessing structural damages of bridges, of tunnels – all that stuff. If we go there, we could interfere with the work that needs to be done, even though I know that the Mayor in his heart is in Puerto Rico at this point. 

Mayor: Thank you. Okay, everyone, we’ll give you updates – there will be more information later in the day, and we’re going to keep you updated as this unfolds. 

Thanks, everyone.