Dam Failing In Puerto Rico As Residents In Area Are Evacuated
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PUERTO RICO (CBSMiami) – Puerto Rico's governor says it's extremely difficult right now to get information out of Guajataca.
That city is located in the western part of the island, where CBS News has been told a dam is in the process of failing.
It was Friday when the National Weather Service first warned that the dam might fail and that 70,000 people may need to be evacuated.
Buses were brought in to transport those people out. The governor of the island went to Guajataca with satellite phones so that he could keep in contact with emergency officials.
But as of Saturday morning, a governor spokesperson says they can't reach those officials.
Here's the latest from the governor's officer: the death count here on the island is 9, but they expect that to go higher.
More diesel is being brought in to hospitals on the island that are running low on fuel. The problem is getting that diesel to those hospitals.
The governor's office says two police officers may have been killed on the western part of the island after they were swept away in floodwater.
CBS News spoke with FEMA, the federal emergency management agency, which is on the ground here in Puerto Rico.
They are saying that they are bringing in one million liters of water as well as food, medicine, and 31 high capacity generators.
Some good news is that commercial flights are resuming on the island, but it comes with a warning.
It is extremely difficult to actually get a flight as most people are saying their flights are being cancelled.
The positive is that most of the planes that are getting into the island are military planes that have relief aid.
The power is still out in Puerto Rico and that means just for about everyone there is no water.