Bryan and VITEMA nominee visited FEMA distribution center in Puerto Rico before 2019 hurricane season

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and VITEMA director nominee Daryl Jaschen visited a FEMA distribution center in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, on March 26, 2019, to review disaster-response supplies and discuss logistics coordination before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.

Government House said the two met with FEMA officials about supply-chain procedures and coordination requirements between FEMA and the Virgin Islands government. The Bayamón center supports FEMA responders in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with equipment, supplies and other life-sustaining resources during disaster operations.

The administration said the visit was intended in part to address logistics problems that followed the 2017 hurricanes. According to the statement, FEMA's Puerto Rico distribution center held about 250,000 meals, more than 700,000 liters of water and more than 13,000 tarps at the start of the 2017 hurricane season.

By Sept. 15, 2017, after Hurricane Irma, FEMA had sent to the U.S. Virgin Islands 90% of the bottled water, 61% of the meals, and all of the tarps and cots from its warehouse, the statement said. Five days later, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, closing its ports and preventing FEMA from receiving and shipping new supplies.

Government House said a FEMA after-action report recommended increasing supplies stocked outside the continental United States and developing a more comprehensive understanding of local, regional and national supply chains.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-vitema-director-visit-fema-distribution-center-in-puerto-rico-ahead-of-hurricane-season/