It is being reported today that Tom Bossert has been forced to resign his position at the White House by newly appointed National Security Adviser John Bolton.  There is absolutely nothing about this that is good news. This is not winning.

According to Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs (very reliable) Bossert was essentially fired from his position as Homeland Security Adviser due to a conflict with incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton (replaced HR McMaster).

According to Jacobs: “Tom Bossert is regarded as an effective and professional figure by colleagues. But he resisted a reorganization of the National Security Council that made him subordinate to the national security adviser, then H.R. McMaster.”  The White House released the following statement:

The President is grateful for Toms commitment to the safety and security of our great country. Tom led the White Houses efforts to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, strengthen our cyber defenses, and respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters. President Trump thanks him for his patriotic service and wishes him well.

~Sarah Sanders

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The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz attempts to make the crisis in Puerto Rico political.  The insufferable mindset to make things political is only exceeded by the ridiculous optic of calling for federal aid while surrounded by relief supplies provided entirely by the U.S. federal government.

•50% of the native Puerto Rican National Guard refused to report to duty when the governor called them up. •Thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, provided by FEMA, U.S. military and U.S. relief agencies, sit at ports while municipal government has no process for delivering them. •Frente Amplio (PR Teamsters Union – truck drivers) are on strike and refusing to deliver supplies. •Over 10,000 U.S. federal personnel are providing recovery and relief on the island….

…and the priority for the Mayor of San Juan, with no power or infrastructure, is to have T-Shirts made to push a political agenda?

Funny how Anderson Cooper never asks:Where does one get a shirt like this made when Puerto Rico is under water and out of power? (rhetorical question)
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Earlier today multiple power companies and tree clearing organizations were rallying in South Florida to begin the long convoy back home.  Our CERT team knew we could not thank them all, there were/are over 60,000 people in the Florida power recovery effort, but we darned sure were going to try and thank as many as possible.

~”The Largest Power Restoration Effort in U.S. History”~

There are still areas in Florida where the power grid is being rebuilt and restored, however the vast majority of the work in SWFL (Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Cape Coral, Collier and Lee Counties) is finished.  At this stage of completion the power and tree crews who came to assist head back to their home state and region.   Many of them began that trek home today.
There is no way to adequately outline the dedication we have witnessed in the impact zone from these incredible men and women and their traveling support groups.  Unless you actually witness them in action it’s indescribable.  Working 24/7 for two straight weeks, through intense blistering heat, through storms and sheet-rain, through the darkest nights, these crews were jaw-droppingly dedicated to the recovery effort; and this was no-where near home for them.
When I think of them leaving their families for weeks… of them wading through filth and muck to reach the hardest of areas… of the saltwater marsh up to their necks with equipment held over their heads… of the grit and determination…. of the callouses in every handshake and hug… of the colors of every helmet…. day-after-day, night-after-night no quit… well, I ain’t a tender person but damn if their sheer effort just doesn’t drop me to tears of appreciation.
Blazin’ chainsaws… solutions on the fly… engineering stuff and building it with a level of calloused ingenuity that would strike fear into any adversary questioning the strength and backbone of America.
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Sunday (Day #7) was mostly a day of church, fellowship, thankfulness and recharging.  There’s still so much to be done.  We were also able to get 5 new generators delivered to a few homes in inland Lee and Collier counties along with five window AC units. (Yea, Home Depot.)  We also found a great auto-shop allowing us to use a bay, lift and tools to put some much needed maintenance time into our two primary high access trucks which have taken a serious pounding for a week.
Today (Day #8), we’re working on oil changes and repairs to some transmission and undercarriage (linkage) work before heading back in to eastern Lee and Collier counties.
♦ Flooded roads remain an issue. ♦ The hurricane curfew has been lifted.  ♦ Schools remain closed.
♦ The primary power issues are in Monroe county (FL Keys), Collier county (Naples, Marco Island), and Lee county (Lehigh, Fort Myers) areas. –SEE HERE–  Obviously the recovery efforts in Monroe county are going to be months long, if not years.  In Southwest Florida (Collier, Lee) hopefully the power can be returned to the most seriously affected within two weeks.
Lehigh Acres (eastern Lee County) and Golden Gate (eastern Collier county, Naples) are where most of the blue-collar working class live.  Unfortunately those areas also got the worst part of the storm.  The inland power infrastructure was seriously damaged by the eye-wall winds of Hurricane Irma.  That’s where we’ve been focusing on trying to do what we can.  These folks have to keep working regardless of how much damage and chaos personally surrounds them.
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It’s really challenging to get solid information into the hands of the people who need it most.  Several, heck a lot, of people we’ve met are ‘renters’, have absentee landlords and don’t have any insurance coverage themselves.
There are door-to-door FEMA response crews out in the various neighborhoods in Florida (Irma), and Texas (Harvey). Here’s a decent article with phone numbers (how to) and explanations of what to expect:

FLORIDA –  If you live in one of the disaster-designated Florida counties and experienced property damage or loss directly caused by Hurricane Irma, register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance – even if you have insurance.

You may register for assistance the following ways:

Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov

If you don’t have Internet access, you can call 800-621-3362.

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Many Treepers have been providing support to Samaritans Purse; and we can confirm the faith-based recovery workers are all over southwest Florida. We’ve shook hands with many of the Baptist Men from all over the Southern U.S. that have traveled into the state to assist in the region.  They are great people who are especially important as they go into some of the areas often forgotten as the media focus is on the immediate coast.

♦ A Poke in The Ribs – yesterday, as we were exiting a convenience store, AJ poked me in the ribs and nodded toward a guy at the gas pump leaning on the edge of his truck bed in a praying position.  The truck was towing a trailer with the traditional gear of a pool service, yellow chlorine containers, skimmer poles and vacuum hoses etc.
No words needed between us, we’ve seen that stance a hundred times. “Hey, brother, you ok?”  “How ya making out?”  In the seconds between the next word, you know… you just know… it’s something about the eyes.
Pool-man Mike lives in an inland area, south Lehigh Acres, and services customers in Bonita Springs.  We never thought about pool-man stress til that moment. Family ok, but house is wrecked, no power, and can’t quit working because he can’t lose his accounts.  Many of his customers are without power, and he’s trying to keep their pools from turning into fancy concrete ponds.  Many are a mess with debris.  Strong work ethic.
“No power?” … “You got a generator?”… “etc.”?
Nope, and pool-man Mike has no time to focus on his own needs because he’s got to keep the business afloat.  Kids at home, school is cancelled next week too; momma stressed and also working.  They need to work, everyone does.
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When dealing with crisis there’s a delicate space between between joy (celebration) and guilt perhaps never more understandable than the moment when power is restored to your home, yet you are thinking of those still waiting; those still suffering.
Power returned today to casa del Sundance thanks to assistance from three Michiganders, two West Virginians, one Pennsylvanian, and a salty fellow from Gainesville Florida -super smart starfish thrower- with a seriously well designed, and custom engineered, narrow profile track and bucket lift.
Darn I wish I had taken a picture of that gear (phone was dead). It looks a little like this, but is smaller (about size of mini-bobcat); compact and seriously purposeful.  Incredible build and functionality with terrain tracks, generator and a narrow profile; super maneuverable.
With this gear we’re able to squeeze down the easement space between rows of powerless houses, and put the bucket operator into tight spaces clearing fallen trees from under, around, and over the space were power line crews need to travel.  Effectiveness is quadrupled.
♦More fuel is now available.  This is a major improvement. Approximately 50 to 75% of gas stations now seem generally well supplied and it doesn’t take more than a few drive-bys to find fuel.  Stores beginning to resupply, and more people returning to SWFL.
I’m actually amazed at how many residents evacuated, then stayed away for so long.  The neighbor to neighbor communication seems to be the contact to bring them back; with many choosing to stay out until power is restored.  This is significantly different from prior Hurricane impact events.  Usually people return quickly (48-72 hrs); this time a much larger percentage of the population choose to remain in a holding pattern (wherever they evacuated to) awaiting information.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv2UdTljgAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTi_8EXwUPk

President Trump delivers remarks on his meeting(s) with political opposition in DC as he navigates the DACA negotiations.  President Trump and First Lady Melania are heading to Fort Myers, Florida, to thank first-responders and understand recovery efforts.