"Let's make this clear - this is an operation of the government of Puerto Rico," Rosselló said. "We set the priorities. . . . We are taking action, and there are results."
Rosselló said the island's geographical challenges - everything must be brought in by boat or air - and the widespread communication failures have complicated relief efforts.
W. Craig Fugate, who was President Barack Obama's FEMA director for all eight years of his presidency, said that in a worst-case scenario, such as a tsunami, the federal government had long contemplated that Puerto Rico could be completely isolated, with its ports destroyed and all food and water needing to be airlifted onto the island or shuttled by marine units that could land on beaches.
Fugate said FEMA did not have to wait for a signal from Puerto Rican authorities before activating more military assets.
Two U.S. defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation, said the inability to communicate readily with Puerto Rican officials immediately after the storm delayed the response. Another limiting factor, they said, was that FEMA officials did not have a full understanding of the devastation and the challenges until Director Brock Long visited the island Monday. The next day, Long announced outside the White House that the military would deploy to Puerto Rico the 1,000-bed hospital ship USNS Comfort.
At least two other Navy ships, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS New York, responded to Hurricane Irma earlier in the month off the Florida Keys and could have been used to respond to Maria. Defense officials said they were instead sent back to Mayport, Florida, and remain in port there on prepare-to-deploy orders. They may yet be called upon to join the response.
