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UPDATE: Puerto Rico Governor Fires Two More Officials Over Hidden Emergency Relief Supplies…

Updating a story we shared last night; and the latest information only makes the situation seem much worse.   To say this story is infuriating would be an understatement.
As an individual with some personal knowledge of how the recovery process works, the actions by these government officials in Puerto Rico are beyond tragic.  There are people in desperate need, and these stupid claims by officials do nothing to ameliorate ongoing suffering.  This is disgusting and heartbreaking at the same time.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gov. Wanda Vázquez fired the heads of Puerto Rico’s housing and family departments Sunday in the latest fallout over the discovery of a warehouse filled with emergency supplies dating from Hurricane Maria.

The removal of Housing Secretary Fernando Gil and Department of Family Secretary Glorimar Andújar came a day after the governor fired the director of Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency.

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Wow – Puerto Rico Governor Fires Emergency Response Director After Massive Warehouse of Unused Aid Discovered…

Folks, this is alarming.  An explosive video from Puerto Rico shows a massive warehouse of emergency hurricane relief supplies discovered highlighting emergency supplies delivered in the aftermath of hurricane Maria that were never distributed.

The warehouse was discovered after the recent earthquake, and the building suffering damage. After CTH initially saw the report, I had to go find the raw video to see just how much 2017 aid was being hidden in this warehouse; and the full video is simply stunning.  First, the report:

(VIA CBS) Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced fired the island’s emergency management director on Saturday, after a video showing aid sitting unused in a warehouse went viral on social media. Some of the aid has allegedly been sitting in the warehouse since Hurricane Maria struck in 2017.
“There are thousands of people who have made sacrifices to help those in the south, and it is unforgivable that resources were kept in the warehouse,” Vázquez said in a statement.

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President Trump Delivers Remarks on Hurricane Dorian Recovery – (Video and Transcript)…

While traveling aboard Air-Force-One, President Trump held a briefing with officials on the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, and allowed the traveling press pool to participate. [Video and Transcript Below]


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[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: So we were going to take a helicopter to Emerald Isle in North Carolina, which was hit very, very hard. Atlantic Beach was hit very hard. Certain areas were really hit. The Governor is with me. Roy, thank you very much for being here.
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Horrific Reports From Bahamas in Dorian Aftermath – A Topography Changed Event…

Steve Harrigan reports from Abaco Island in the Bahamas as search and rescue efforts continue.  The scale of the devastation is incredible; everything is gone, and worse yet the topography has changed removing the ability of deep water ports to be used in/around most of the northern Bahama islands.  The anticipated death toll is expected to be dramatic. [Disturbing Content]


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The duration of Hurricane Dorian has changed the underwater topography making access to the Island communities even more difficult, if not impossible. The Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency and the Royal Bahamian Defense Force have warned all ocean vessels to stay clear of the Northern Bahama islands.
The equipment needed, and the fuel to make the equipment operational, is not able to reach the Islands because the underwater topography has changed. Deep water channels and port routes need to be remapped.  Most previous ports in/around the Northern Bahamas are no longer feasible for use.  What used to be deep water is now shallow water.
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11:00am Hurricane Dorian Skirts Carolina Coast, Storm Surge a Big Issue….

Hurricane Dorian is now a category two storm with winds around 110mph.  Currently South and North Carolina are experiencing coastal storm surge as the hurricane is just off the coast and maintaining a northeast path.
At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 32.5 North, longitude 79.1 West. Dorian is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h). A turn toward the northeast is anticipated by tonight, and a northeastward motion at a faster forward speed is forecast on Friday.

On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of South Carolina today, and then move near or over the coast of North Carolina tonight and Friday. The center should move to the southeast of extreme southeastern New England Friday night and Saturday morning, and approach Nova Scotia later on Saturday.
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President Trump Delivers Remarks from The Oval Office – Storm Prep and Presser – (Video and Transcript)…

Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks on updated Hurricane Dorian preparations from the Oval Office.  In addition to the hurricane updates, President Trump held an an impromptu press conference. [Video and Transcript Below]


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[Transcript] Oval Office – THE PRESIDENT: We thought we’d give you an update on the hurricane. We got lucky in Florida — very, very lucky indeed. We had — actually, our original chart was that it was going to be hit — hitting Florida directly. Maybe I could just see that, Kevin. It was going to be hitting directly, and that would have affected a lot of other states. But that was the original chart.
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Stay Watchful – Hurricane Dorian Heading for North Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia…

There is a lot of understandable Dorian fatigue; however, that can be problematic if residents near the coastal areas of North Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina don’t stay alert.  Despite it’s duration the hurricane is holding 110 mph winds sixty miles from center, and pushing a very strong storm surge.
At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 28.4 North, longitude 79.0 West. Dorian is moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h) and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is
expected through early Wednesday. A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning.

On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.
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Finally Moving – 5:00pm Update Hurricane Dorian – Storm Weakens, Expands, Begins Northward Movement…

Hurricane Dorian has begun moving north, finally starting to lessen the impact on Grand Bahama Island.  The strongest winds have diminished to 110 mph, but the wind field has expanded and now covers 60 miles from center.  The storm surge along the U.S. Southeast is anticipated to be very significant through all tide cycles.
At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 27.7 North, longitude 78.7 West. Dorian is moving toward the northwest near 6 mph (9 km/h), and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected tonight. A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast Thursday morning.

On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast tonight through Wednesday night. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.
Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.
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11am Hurricane Dorian – Storm Weakens, Cat-2, Barely Moving….

Hurricane Dorian is moving 2 MPH as it possibly begins to change direction. Grand Bahama Island has been feeling this storm for three days.
At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 27.1 North, longitude 78.6 West. Dorian is moving toward the northwest near 2 mph (4 km/h), and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected later today and tonight. A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast Thursday morning.

On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will gradually move north of Grand Bahama Island through this evening. The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday and Thursday night.
Data from reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.
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5:00pm Hurricane Dorian, Category 4, Stationary Over Grand Bahama Island – FL, GA, SC, NC Monitoring…

It’s impossible to find words to describe what the people in Grand Bahama island must be going through.  More than 24 hours inside a 90-mile wide buzzsaw of sustained  cat-5/cat-4 winds, stationary over a populated island, is beyond comprehension.
Two, perhaps three, complete tide cycles; plus 20 feet of storm surge, plus the catastrophic wind must be completely overwhelming the land mass of the island… A topography changing event.  We pray for those who still have hours left amid this storm.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 26.8 North, longitude 78.4 West. Dorian has become nearly stationary this afternoon. A slow westward to west-northwestward motion is expected to resume overnight and continue into early Tuesday. A turn toward the northwest is forecast by late Tuesday, with a northeastward motion forecast to begin by Wednesday night.
On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island into Tuesday morning. The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening and then move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday.
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