Puerto Rico’s main airport in San Juan opened Friday to military relief flights after the territory was battered this week by Hurricane Maria, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps is planning to set up a headquarters at the airport as it assesses the storm’s damage and will work with the territory’s governor on the next step for the relief efforts, said Brig. Gen. Diana Holland, the commander of U.S. Army Corps’ South Atlantic Division.
Some commercial flights were also landing at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, according to media reports.
Army Corps personnel began the storm assessments yesterday and have so far seen widespread power outages on Puerto Rico and also the Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory that also suffered a massive hit from Maria, said Holland, who spoke to reporters at the Pentagon.
“We do know that the power outages are extensive, between 95-100 percent right now,” she said.
A first priority is restoring power to hospitals, health clinics, and sewage treatment facilities. Holland said the Corps is also working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard to survey the island’s channels to see if they are safe to open.
The full extent of the storm damage in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is not yet known.
“I can’t say exactly how long it is going to take, but it will be weeks before we know the full scope,” Holland said.
