Aerial assessments provide insight for recovery in Puerto Rico

Photo By Lauren Harrah | SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Personnel from the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation work with the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish & Wildlife Service to map a flight plan over mountainous regions in central Puerto Rico to monitor roadway damage and obstruction, Oct. 9, 2017. The flight provided a first hand look at what areas are most severely impacted and will allow federal response organizations to better focus their efforts. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Lauren Harrah/Released)  

PUERTO RICO

10.09.2017

Story by Sgt. Lauren Harrah 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Marked by the fifth-highest number of vehicles per capita in the world according to World Bank, and a population of over 3.4 million, Puerto Rico depends on critical roadways in order to access rural communities throughout the island.

As relief efforts continue in the wake of Hurricane Maria, aerial highway assessments offer relief organizations a firsthand look at what areas are most severely impacted.

A small team of personnel from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, and the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish & Wildlife Service conducted an aerial highway assessment from a Quest Kodiak turboprop plane, Oct. 9, 2017, in mountainous regions of central Puerto Rico. The route focused on critical highways and bridges that have been identified as potentially inoperable due to debris, rainfall and landslides.

“It’s not the same when you view the damage from the ground,” said Carmen Calicea, advisor for the PRHTA. “If you can see from above, you can see how severe the damage is and potentially develop better solutions.”

Information and photos from the aerial assessments are then relayed back to the U.S. Crisis Management Center in Washington and shared with FEMA operations and logistics here in Puerto Rico to assign relief assets for road clearance and repairs as needed.

“The intent is to get the roads passable and repaired as quickly as possible so that critical items can be delivered to isolated communities,” said Kevin Irving, transportation engineer for U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration.

Highways such as PR 143 provide the only route of access to some communities in the area, so drivers and relief personnel need to know what alternative routes to take in order to provide life-sustaining support to the people, Calicea said.

“We want to assist transportation providers with routing and we also have a routing hotline here at the Joint Field Office,” said Terry Sheehan, regional emergency transportation representative with the U.S. DOT. “This will provide our routing hotline team with real-time information so that as they guide trucks, personnel movements and commodities, they have better visibility.”

Assessments and future planning will be key components for the resilient recovery of ground transportation infrastructure throughout Puerto Rico in the coming weeks as heavy rainfall and frequent landslides continue to pose a threat, said Sheehan.

• Date Taken: 10.09.2017
• Date Posted: 10.10.2017 15:07
• Story ID: 251113
• Location: PR