San Juan, PR, - The Puerto Rico National Guard is activated by order of the Governor, Honorable Wanda Vazquez, through Executive Order 2019-044, which establishes the legal statute for the deployment of military forces to support the emergency response for Tropical Storm Dorian.
"Due to the activation of the Puerto Rico National Guard, our Joint Operations Center and Joint Task Force have been stood-up and will provide support to government agencies during this emergency," said Major General Jose J. Reyes, the Adjutant General of Puerto Rico. "We are completing our preparation in route to our assigned missions. All communication systems have been verified in our armories throughout the island, we are responding to the support requests from various government entities and we are prepping our vehicles to answer the call."
Yesterday afternoon hundreds of military vehicles and electrical generators were fueled, while water distribution trucks were also replenished in foresight of this event. Engineer and transportation units started to relocate to their assigned areas.
Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. are in direct communication with the Adjutant General to assist the PRNG and the Island as needed.
"Even though every weather system can be unpredictable, we hope Dorian is not a repeat of Maria," stated Reyes. "We will have unstable weather and hope our people take the necessary precautions to be safe from any danger."
The Puerto Rico National Guard has Engineer, Military Police, Transportation, Water Purification and Aviation units, as well as personnel from Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina that are ready for the storm. Engineer and logistics equipment have been pre-positioned in the municipalities of Mayaguez, Utuado and Salinas, ready to provide immediate support in the event of landslides or blocked roads from fallen debris.
"We will provide security to the shelters once the Department of Housing makes them operational, likewise our Military Police will provide perimeter security to the facilities of the Correctional Department in Ponce and Guayama," said Reyes. "We hope this weather system does not affect us, but if it does happen, the Puerto Rico National Guard is ready to assist our people in all possible ways, fulfilling our promise to be: Always Present."
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