SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Task Force Power Restoration opened two additional warehouse and laydown yard distribution points in Bayamon and Palo Seco, Puerto Rico, this week to help speed restoration work.
These new sites will reduce the amount of time work crews spend on the road picking up and delivering materials across the island.
“With a surge of materials and an additional 1,500 lineworkers arriving by mid-January, USACE is expanding our capacity and ability to quickly distribute materials,” said Task Force Power Restoration Commander Col. John Lloyd. “These locations will enhance our ability to restore power to the people of Puerto Rico by expanding our reach and shortening delivery times.
USACE currently has three warehouses and laydown yards, to include Ponce, Palo Seco and Bayamon, with the goal of expanding to seven within the next few weeks.
USACE has been tasked with ordering materials to make up for the shortage of power restoration supplies across Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria, USACE received a materials list from PREPA with estimated material requirements based on initial damage assessments. USACE works through the Defense Logistics Agency to procure material from manufacturers.
In addition, USACE is leveraging relationships with electrical warehouses and utility companies to purchase small volumes of critical material. Throughout this mission, USACE and PREPA work closely to refine material estimates and forecast needs for additional orders. This is a joint effort with PREPA to include an assessment of what is needed and what is in PREPA's warehouses.
USACE has taken on the task of ordering any shortfalls in supplies, expediting the delivery and distribution of supplies. USACE currently has 326 items on order to fulfill the supply requirement, including poles, cable, transformers, fuses, towers, and insulators.
Release no. 18-005