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U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency
Public-Private Partnerships Team Office of External Affairs
FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov
Private Sector Advisory
FEMA Continues to Monitor Tropical Storm Dorian for Potential Impacts to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
August 27, 2019
- The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch for Puerto Rico Tuesday morning, with tropical storm conditions expected and hurricane conditions possible on Wednesday.
- FEMA urges residents in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to follow instructions from Commonwealth, Territorial, and/or local officials and complete their preparations today.
- FEMA is coordinating closely with the governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, recognizing an effective disaster response is locally executed, state managed and federally supported.
- The response to Tropical Storm Dorian will be on top of a complex recovery effort. Even a smaller and less severe storm could have significant impact.
- Residents can download the FEMA app to receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service, locate open emergency shelters and community recovery centers, and get additional preparedness information.
FEMA Preparations for Tropical Storm Dorian:
- The White House has been in touch with the Governors and congressional delegations of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- FEMA is taking all possible preparatory actions in anticipation of impacts, including the forward deployment of personnel.
- FEMA deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) to both the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico ahead of Tropical Storm Dorian.
- Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) Disaster Emergency Communications are in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- FEMA Logistics Staging and Transportation Teams are in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to support response to Tropical Storm Dorian.
- Five FEMACorps teams are deploying to the Caribbean and an additional 20 teams are ready to deploy.
- FEMA has nearly 3,000 federal employees in Puerto Rico ready to respond to a new disaster if needed.
- Through its regional office in New York City and Joint Recovery Office in San Juan, the agency is conducting checks of its primary, secondary and contingency communications systems to ensure the ability to execute emergency-response activities.
- Since 2017, FEMA has prepositioned life sustaining commodities throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to enable an even faster response to events in the Caribbean. The stock levels of these commodities are well above what was in place on-island in 2017, to include: millions of liters of water and meals, as well as tarps and other necessities.
Now is the Time to Prepare:
- History shows that storm tracks can change quickly. Island residents should closely monitor weather forecasts, follow instructions from Commonwealth, Territorial, and/or local officials, and be prepared to take shelter if ordered to do so.
- For a list of shelters and other important information, visit www.manejodeemergencias.pr.gov or call the Puerto Rico Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Bureau at 787-724-0124 to find your nearest shelter.
- U.S. Virgin Island residents can receive real-time updates on emergencies impacting the U.S. Virgin Islands by registering for Alert VI through the Everbridge Public Safety app. The link is available on vitema.vi.gov.
- Tropical Storm Dorian could cause power outages that last for several days. All residents should prepare an Emergency Supply Kit:
- A gallon of water per person per day for at least 10 days.
- A 10-day supply of non-perishable foods for each person in the household.
- A first aid kit.
- Food and water for pets for at least 10 days.
- Cash on hand for emergency expenses in case ATMs are down.
- Battery-powered or solar radio, flashlight and extra batteries.
- Charge your cell phone and other battery-operated devices now so you will have a full battery in case you lose power.
- Residents who believe their home might be damaged by the storm due to a blue roof or other ongoing repairs, should seek out their nearest shelter.
- Plan how you’ll communicate with family members once the storm passes. Remember that during disasters, text instead of calling because phone lines are often overloaded.
- In addition to local and commonwealth resources, more hurricane preparedness information is available at:
Potential for Response on Top of Ongoing Recovery:
- FEMA continues to support its Caribbean partners with their ongoing and complex recovery efforts from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
- The vast majority of infrastructure throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was significantly damaged during the 2017 hurricanes. Permanent restoration efforts are ongoing, and repairs are being made to meet current industry standards wherever possible.
- While repaired systems are in a more resilient condition than they were prior to the 2017 hurricanes, there is still more work to be done; therefore, even smaller and less severe storm systems could have a significant impact to infrastructure, individuals, and communities.
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