All those corrupt local Puerto Rico officials who have used U.S. disaster response aid to enrich themselves had better watch out.  President Trump has just assigned Coast Guard Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown to take charge of all U.S. efforts on the island.
Rear Admiral Brown is an excellent man with a servants heart, but he is also a very deliberate and serious man.  And this man knows the island; we have crossed paths….

[White House] President Donald J. Trump has named U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown of Florida as his Special Representative for Puerto Rico’s Disaster Recovery. In this capacity, Admiral Brown will coordinate United States Government efforts to build the infrastructure and resiliency of Puerto Rico.

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Promises made – Promises Kept.  During a visit to the Florida panhandle today Vice-President Mike Pence and Second-Lady Karen Pence delivered a message and promise from the President to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base.
Tyndall is located in Bay County where the eye of Hurricane Michael came ashore.  The base, including all base housing, was totally destroyed.  There are great similarities between Homestead AFB after Hurricane Andrew and Tyndall AFB after Hurricane Michael; both bases suffered catastrophic damage.
There were many concerns Tyndall might fall to the same fate as Homestead and be closed due to the cost of rebuilding.  Thankfully, President Trump and VP Pence have committed to rebuilding the base.   This decision is incredibly important to the people in/around Bay county.  Many prayers are answered today.

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[Transcript] Tyndall Air Force Base – Bay County, Florida – 12:18 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much. Let me say, Karen and I traveled to the region a week ago to see the impact of Hurricane Michael, but this is our first trip to the Panhandle and to see the extraordinary devastation.
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For those who know the stages of hurricane recovery, specifically in the deep southeast and Florida region, there is no needed explanation for the importance of this video and the subsequent joy.

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For those who don’t know – this convoy means the catastrophic stages of rescue work and the painstaking process of going block by block therein is complete.  People are now safe. Primary arteries are clear.  Massive numbers of power crews are working to rebuild the grid; tens of thousands of tons of debris being removed. [Much of what is now called “debris” represents the cherished belongings of thousands of lives.]
Now it’s time to try and restore some sense of normalcy for those who have been so incredibly impacted, and commit to a long-term rebuilding process. For many outsiders it’s just an innocuous convoy; yet for others it represents a purposeful recovery phase where we have counted our blessings and live thankfully, neighbor-to-neighbor, hand-in-hand, in fellowship.
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Vice President Mike Pence meets employees at Flint River Mills in Bainbridge on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Vice President Mike Pence touched down in this Southwest Georgia city Tuesday and addressed the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition in Moultrie as he surveyed storm damage from Hurricane Michael.

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The Vice-President’s visit comes a day after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled through the Florida Panhandle and central part of Georgia to met with residents, farmers and recovery workers.
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Today President Trump and First Lady Melania visit Florida and Georgia to talk to residents and recovery workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.

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President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the media departing the White House for a visit to Florida and Georgia to see hurricane Michael recovery efforts.

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Media reporting has only scratched the surface on the devastation. Collaborative FEMA and National Guard assessments are ongoing. Pray for the missing; there are hundreds missing.

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The parallels between Homestead after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Mexico Beach after Hurricane Michael are stunning.  There are remarkable similarities including the first 48 hours of media incomprehension due to their inability to gain access.

For those who might not remember, immediately following hurricane Andrew (’92) no-one initially realized the scale of devastation in/around Homestead, FL, because all eyes were focused on the more well-known Miami area.  It took a few days for people to fathom where the real devastation took place.  Homestead was almost entirely obliterated.
Fast forward 26 years and the exact same scenario exists near Mexico Beach, FL.  The difference between Michael and Andrew is the width of the devastation.  Andrew was a much wider storm than Michael; but the aftermath is eerily similar.  Seriously, it’s PTSD flashback central…. stunningly so.
Just like the area around Homestead AFB ’92, the area around Tyndall AFB in 2018 is identical. Complete devastation.  Amazing. I mean the comparisons are spookily similar, right down to the displayed fighter jets being torn from their concrete pedestals.
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President Trump began opening remarks, prior to Senate Bill 3508, with discussion surrounding Hurricane Michael and the ongoing recovery efforts.
The Save Our Seas Act involves the administration confronting foreign nations who dump trash and debris into the oceans. All forward U.S. trade agreements will include passages forcing trade partners to control oceanic trash and debris.

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[Oval Office Transcript] – 11:27 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Thank you very much. I very much appreciate your being here. We have hurricane reports on Hurricane Michael. Unbelievably destructive, powerful.
The one good thing we can say — we were just discussing — is that it was the fastest hurricane anybody has seen. It just was speedy. If it wasn’t, there would be absolutely nothing left. It was incredibly powerful. You’ve seen the destruction.
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Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, FL, as a strong 155 mph hurricane.  The storm is now entering the southeast Georgia area while retaining quite a bit of energy.  The 5:00pm EST advisory: Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts. Michael is a dangerous category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

STORM SURGE: Water levels are beginning to recede in some locations, however, the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will continue to cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. (read more)
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