then called the army corp. of engineers himself. >> they knew this storm was coming. ould have had a lot more pumps. >> reporter: at issue, the temporary outflow pipes put in place by the army corp. of engineers during a controversial dune project on margate beaches. previously residents say the construction created ponds filled with bacteria-laden water. but this morning, because of the effects from the storm, tidal water came in through the pipes meant to drain water. that created ponding and flowed into the street. you can see here where backhoes tried to stop the water. >> in a regular northeastern before the dunes came, we'll have water which will ebb and flow. now we have water pond on this side of the dune. >> it's a concern every day, you know? so we hope they know what they're doing. >> reporter: today residents came to see for themselves. the project is meant to build dunes to protect the city. >> now the water's coming back from the pipe and that's where all this water came from. it's crazy. >> reporter: the mayor is concerned about the impact future storms

i am certain the puerto rican people will see the result of the army corps of engineers mission. if it airdrop's help, why are those not helping -- happening? that both thelief state government and most of the missa banalities -- municipalities involved have found that ground-based is the best. if that is not the case, i want to make sure i am stepping in's to something, if the ground former has identified an airdrop system, i endorse it from here. i would not question his judgment. it was my understanding they identified the fastest delivery to be through ground-based means by delivering first. they needed security forces and we have applied those. there is a security force plan laid out for each of the drivers that they can feel safe. reporter: several flights have gotten out of florida and managed to get to the island to deliver food and water without having logistical problems. there is criticism coming from florida saying there is mismanagement coming all the way from the president. how do you respond? >> i am not certain who you are talking about or who is criticizing it. i

we are putting the united states army corps of engineers in charge of power restoration. to your question of whether the military is in charge, it depends on the mission and function. the people of puerto rico are strong, confident, and they are in charge. but where they are not able and have diminished capacity, we are taking extreme steps. direct federal assistance orders were given, a mission assignment was given. i have heard others quibble about whether it was a mission or not. the army corps of engineers has been given a mission to restore power on puerto rico, full stop. though those are the big diesel run generators. permanent generation restoration on the island. transmission, lines that transmit power to and from, and the hook up to the houses. those are his priorities, and i am certain that portray can people will see the results. reporter: if airdrops will help, why are they not happening? is it a military issue? mr. bossart: it is my understanding that the government and municipalities have identified ground-based as being best. i want to make sure i don't st

upstream, the dam water flows and temperature is monitored by our friends at the army corps of engineers. downstream, the irrigation is controlled by the bureau of reclamation. each of these government agencies have great people, but eight of them oftentimes have their own -- have four biological opinions, and two will not be reconcilable. we are going to fix this problem at interior by changing the structure and learning how to the joint. our government needs to learn to work together.

the army corps of engineers is spearheading a massive mobilization to restore power and it began with providing the diesel fuel necessary for sustainable emergency power generation. they are also working to restore long term power generation and distribution around the island. there is a long way to go, but we will not rest until everyone is safe and secure. our message to the people of puerto rico is this, the president is behind you, we all are, the entire country. your unbreakable spirit is an inspiration tos all. we are pare praying for you and working for you and we will not let you down. as you note president traveled to indianapolis to roll out a framework for tax relief. it's based on four key ideas. first we will cut taxes for the every day hard working americans. second, we will make the tax code simple, fair and easy to understand. third, we will cut taxes on american businesses to restore our competitive edge and create more jobs and higher wages for american workers. and finally, it encourages american companies to bring back the trillions and trillions of dollars in weal

but the concern is that is all manmade over there, that dike, and it's the army corps of engineers that's responsible for it. the governor of florida and the army corps of engineers say that they believe, with some confidence, that the dike will be able to withstand what is coming with irma. but they're not going to guarantee anything and especially after what happened in katrina. again, in katrina, we saw levees and dikes give way. to understand the precarious nature of this dike here, the federal government with the army corps of engineers has had an ongoing project here to the tune of $800 noll shore this dike up. the concern is if the dike gives way the water rushes out and there's about 40,000 people that live just south of the lake and they would find themselves with a wall of water coming at them much the way we saw in katrina. and so those who live if the shadows of the dike are being told it's best for them to leave. the army corps of engineers has a group of inspectors that are out looking at the dike, monitoring it e. they know that there's a potential here. they're watching it

the wildwoods are the only area in the state of new jersey not under the army corps of engineer under a state project. they saw the impact from high tide, the seas causing flooding and water jumping over the sea wall. >> last night the waves were crashing over the gazebo and it was rather frightening. >> i was scared. in montreal we are not used to that. >> not everyone saw jose as a menace. surfers told "action news" they live for this type of weather and caution this is dangerous. >> my friend starts surfing and won't go in the water. have you to respect for the ocean and know your limits. >> crews are working to repair the sand. and in jeopardy of collapsing because of the erosion and the mayor wants to move away from a sand solution repair and hopes to use heartening structures like a sea wall. >> the erosion we saw in these couple of blocks was the most significant we have seen in over a decade here. >> back out live, drone 6 giving you another image of the erosion damage here in north wildwood. the mayor says that workers are out tomorrow to try to replenish the sand at the beac

the army corps of engineers recognizes the potential. their own report says depending on the potential location of a breach, the life loss, economic and adverse environmental consequences of a breach are considered very high. >> the floods would potentially inundate entire communities, and this is, of course, certainly something that the corps of engineers wants to avoid at all costs. >> reporter: that rushing water that you hear and see is a desperate effort to get as much water out of the lake before irma arrives. the army corps of engineers says it believes the dike will hold, but irma will dump more than 20 inches of rain. lester? >> all right, kerry sanders, thanks. >>> when we come back here tonight, he's growing up so fast. a major rite of passage for prince george. kevin, meet your father. kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin trusted advice for life. kevin, how's your mom? life well planned. see what a raymond james financial advisor can do for you. pbut he's gotup with work to do.ack. so he took aleve this

tried to take. >> clayton: we had earlier on the show general semini, whose in charge of the army corps of engineers in charge of the reservoirs down there and he said look we're in a stage right now where i don't know how manyn billions of tons of debris that they now have to haul away like that's the job right now. the recovery, the rescue, getting all that toxic debris out of houston first and then deciding are we going to rebuild in certain neighborhoods that have been hit by flooding three consecutive years now. he said look we can't build those large storm surge cement barricades that they have in florida because we've just built too many homes up to those areas and now it's a question of well can we tear those neighborhoods down, does the federal government step ... ... ... ... ♪ it's a highly contagious disease that can be really serious... especially for my precious new grandchild. it's whooping cough. every family member, including those around new babies, should talk to their doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated. you won't see these folks they have businesses to run. they have pa

men and women to answer the call that is standing rock sioux we got there within days the army corps of engineers denied the easement for the pipeline to go through and you know there was a victory to be celebrated at that point but we understood that that was not the end of the battle. half way through january donald trump's first executive memo was to essentially expedite that override any need for an environmental assessment and we went back out there and we were there in february when the national guard and several force agencies were sent in to remove the last of the on armed peaceful indigenous people and water protectors who had gathered there but what we're doing now is through that time through our involvement in standing rock with twenty five hundred veterans service men and women together it was a reminder to me of. the immense issue that we have in the united states of dealing with veterans and health care. and it really catalyzed what our next project is going to be at without that is to yes let me interrupt or second that's the thing that bothers me i watch t.v. today and i see like

we are putting the united states army corps of engineers in charge of power restoration. to your question of whether the military is in charge, it depends on the mission and function. arepeople of puerto rico strong, confident, and they are in charge. but where they are not able and have diminished capacity, we are taking extreme steps. direct federal assistance orders were given, a mission assignment was given. i have heard others quibble about whether it was a mission or not. the army corps of engineers has been given a mission to restore power on puerto rico, full stop. though those are the big diesel run generators. generation restoration on the island. transmission, lines that transmit power to and from, and the hook up to the houses. those are his priorities, and i am certain that portray can people will see the results. is airdrops will help, why are they not happening? is it a military issue? mr. bossart: it is my understanding that the government and municipalities have identified ground-based as being best. i want to make sure i don't step into something. if the

we took the action of putting the united states army corps of engineers in charge of power restoration on the island. to your question whether the military is in charge, it depends on the mission and function. they are in charge of a lot but not everything. the people of puerto rico are strong and competent. and that's the best way to handle things, where they are not able and have diminished capacity we are taking extreme steps. a direct federal assistance order was given, a mission assignment was given and people quibble whether it is a mission or not. they have been given a mission to restore power on puerto rico. he has some priorities. temporary power generation right now. that is the diesel-run generation. two, permanent generation, going to restore the power generation capacity on the south of the island. three, transmission, the lines that transmit power and fourthly distribution. that's the last, hook up to the houses and that power generation. those are his priorities and the puerto rican people will see it. reporter: if air drops would help, why are they not happening? is th

transmission lines are -- a lot of them above ground there was a lot of damage. >> right the army corps of engineersr of the army corps of engineers, is on the island today. working directly with fema this is going to be a very long project to rebuild all the transmission that's the long-term prospect. in the meantime, we need to get fuel, as you know, to generators so we can keep power. >> general, i know that you have to run here. there was a lady here who is desperate for water. she says, we can't find it anywhere when you can find it, you don't have the cash to get it. the very basic supplies are missing. as soon as you get outside of the metropolitan areas how do you now try to tackle the very most basic needs? >> one of the things we're doing and working directly with the guard from puerto rico and from other states that have come from the united states, they have sent guard forces here we're establishing nodes throughout each of the ten zones that the puerto ricoruerto rica response agency established so we can have people on the ground and everywhere throughout the island away from the metro

army corps of engineers joins us from the flood zone he joins us next hour. first visit to texas waiving texas flag. it belongs to 15-year-old patriotic teen. is he here to tell us how he managed to get it back ♪ it's america ♪ ♪ ffing from scratch. so that you can spend time on what really matters. llender' it's time to savor. you push yourself every day... tempur-pedic helps you recover every night. tempur material provides up to twice as much pressure relieving power... so you won't toss and turn. through september 17th, save up to $500 on select adjustable sets. tempur-pedic sleep is power. clayton: a fox news alert now in a matter of hours, president trump will return to texas to survey the damage and meet with some of the victims and volunteers that are responding to harvey. abby: during his visit earlier this week the president proudly waived a texas flag that belongs to a 15-year-old boy. >> he just held up my flag. >> who? >> donald trump just held up my flag. [cheers] pete: now that flag is back in the hands of that patriotic teen. joining us now is

fema plays a role in other federal agencies play a role, the army corps of engineers has been involved, the housing and urban development government is involved. the military has been involved in helping us facilitate and move pieces down. and then there are those voluntary organizations, all of that comes together, the voluntary organizations, donations that are made do not have an impact on the federal resources that are going. instead, their work is something that comes together. host: is there anything congress could do would that would incentivize private insurers to take up flood insurance again? a number of are steps we are taking and as we have worked with committees, i talked extensively about this in one of my hearings -- we need to -- there's a couple of small technical issues that congress is focused on to ensure that the private insurance is recognized and if someone goes to a private insurer for their flood coverage, for some reason was to lose that coverage, they could come back into the national flood insurance program. i think those are fundamental and important. we ne

army corps of engineers. it's good of you to join us today. this is a tough situation.tand those reservoirs could be topping as a result that charges necessary headaches and danger for people living in flood zones. >> thank you for asking me. the chief of engineers is on the course this morning and on the ground in texas. their functioning as they were designed to do. the releasing water through the outlet structures in order to release pressure on the dams. but they're not in any danger of reaching overtopping. the water has been flowing around but it's not doing that anymore. they're releasing it controlled through the outlet structure because there's a lot of water inside the dam and flowing and they must continue to release a downstream. >> kelly: as they release a downstream, would anyone or any community be in jeopardy? >> they will only be in jeopardy of a longer duration of flood. they won't be in jeopardy of higher level of flooding. the dams protected them from a higher level of flooding and that was the purpose. to release water out of the flow and threaten s

tonight the army corp of engineers is assessing whether this dam will hold up as people living near it are evacuated. homes that weren't swept away by maria could now be lost if this dam breaks. >>> music, food, and good people raising money for those who need it. coming together tonight for the hurricane relief fund-raiser. the mayor said it started as one person's idea and spread like wildfire on facebook. he said not only is tonight's event to help people impacted by the hurricane but to serve as a good example for kids in the community. >> we're very much a family community. we know we're being watched by our kids all the time. and we just try to behave in a way and be active in the community they take away a good example. and hopefully that shows up in the next generation. >> all the food and drinks were donated tonight. tickets cost $50. and all the run money raised tonight is going to the my brother's brother foundation. >>> well, tonight the search continues for a shooter. and the police are warning he should be considered armed and dangerous. take a look at this man. police sa

we are staying up with the army corps of engineer and the south florida water management district. shelters, if you are evacuating from the keys, you can shelter at florida international university. there's absolutely no reason for anyone not to evacuate if you're ordered to evacuate. shelters are available and will be available and you should follow the directions of local officials to go to the shelter that fits your needs. if you need a hotel, go to expedia.com/florida. expedia's working on hotel occupancy in realtime. the florida restaurant and lodging association has encouraged all hotels to waive pet policies, offer shelter and be compassionate with cancellations. families can go to floridadisaster.org/info to learn where shelters are open in their area. comcast, there will be more than 137,000 free xfinity wi-fi hot spots throughout the state for individuals in need including non-comcast customers. for a map visit xfinity.com/wifi. at&t, verizon and t-mobile also helping with hot spots. for deployment as needed. we will be prepositioned these goods to help everyone in the st

fema response has been aggressive, army corp of engineer, cove guard, u.s. army contributing to try to get power back on, get people food and water they need. ashley johnson. with the local response from our area. reporter: residentses in rowes e parts puerto rico are stranded. at least 10 people died in puerto rico but of hurricane maria, 1.6 million are without power, that is nearly half of the island, puerto rico governor, said that island is on brink of humanitarian crisis, and has called on trump administration to provide more help and resources. in new jersey many continue to worry with about their loved ones, there is outpouring of support at the community center, volunteers are collecting bottled water, canned goods and toiletry. the mayor, diaz, nearly broke down in tears when i asked about her mother and sister who live in northwest part of island. >> i was very fortunate my sister had an opportunity to contact my sister my cousin to tell us they are okay. but so many have not had the same opportunity to speak to their loved ones. reporter: diaz sai

they include the coast guard, and the army corps of engineers.the weekend at camp david, president trump received briefings on the confidence in the federal response. he says he plans to travel to florida in the coming days. and happening right now - evacuations underway in the carribbean in the wake of irma. u-s military aircraft have already relocated at least 12-hundred u-s citizens out of saint martin, but many others are still waiting to be taken to safety. americans who have not yet been evacuated are being told to stay sheltered in place. as hurricane irma bears down - a somber anniversary for our nation. this morning we pause to remember the lives lost in the september 11th attacks 16 years ago today. john gonzalez is live at the pentagon, where the president will be heading in just a few hours. a live look now in new york city, events are also being held today. later this morning the names of all those killed in the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center will be read. stay with abc seven as we remember nine-eleven. we will bring you live

reporter: georgetown in 2011, there were millions in damage to washington harbor, and the army corps of engineers got to work in one of the city's most vulnerable spots, the heart of them all. >> this levee, when complete, can keep the storm surge from the potomac river out of downtown. >> reporter: what about all those who say this is it? the bottom block is the height of the 100-year flood plain. >> in response to hurricane katrina, after that, and the catastrophe in new there was a closer examine nogs -- examination of what could be done. >> reporter: the park service has no concern about the water making its way anywhere near the because of this statue. >> if called upon, we are ready to do it. >> reporter: from the national wall, mike valerio, wusa 9. >> and a also run a low-profile levee. and that levee you saw, that was never tested by mother nature. this is upper marlboro almost 6 years ago. hurricane i reason and tropical storm lee dropped 2 feet of rain on central maryland. a dozen homes and businesses were flooded out including marlboro tire and auto. >> keeping an eye >> yes, indeed.

turns out this is levy built by army corps of engineers to protect our national treasures. how much water can this thing hand. >> in case of major hurricane making land fall by virginia beach surge could would be pushed from the bay to the potomac river. for the mcnair and bowling air force could take on massive moveding as the water makes its way in the national mall could number jeopardy. the department of civil and environment engineering explains. >> then the flooding would continue where the levy is and that could affect the washington monument. it could get it could actually get all the way to the backyards of the almost the white house. >> the part of the levy that crosses 7 street has to be manually put in place if storm is approaching it's roughly ten feet above street-level and 19 feet above sea level f we were to see extreme surge excess of 13 to 16 feet the water would begin to loop around essentially leaving washington monument on island. >> it's if you're taking clockwise around the washington monument that's how it would build up. . the levy would stop this bu

so what we've done is pro actively asked, they asked the army corps of engineers to take over the initialart of rebuilding the entire grid. the entire rebuild of the grid, that's a long process. if we do it, we have to do it right. we don't want to wind up having the same discussion 10 twir, 20s from now. >> so the army corps of engineers -- >> they are on the side, yes. >> we're focused on the response and recovery and that's what we're doing with dhs and 15 san. what we have learned is not losing any time. on both harvey and this hurricane maria, the president declared the disaster before it hit landfall. that's absolutely critical to allowing us to come in in support of the governor before the disaster really hits. to me, that has been a game changer. >> i think the last 35 days or so have been a gut check that we do not have a true culture of preparedness in this country and we have a lot of work to do. whether it is in education, being ready. it is not just saying, hey, have three days of supplies ready to go. it is having the finances and the savings to overcome simple emergencies.

army corps of engineer and chief of the national guard bureau was on the ground today. so we're really working with them and letting them know what our needs are, and making sure we get the help that we need. can i just say one thing, chuck? >> yes, sir. >> that, if you want to help the virgin islands, please, we are asking for your help. visit www.usvirecovery.org. www.usvirecovery.org. and this is going to go to the victims. it's going to be held by one of our wonderful charitable organizations that's been doing work in the community over 25 years. >> great. >> help the people of the virgin islands. we need all the help. >> governor, terrific. we'll make sure folks see that website again and continue to cover what's going on there so people know that you're not forgotten. we're all here. we're all pulling together. >> thank you, thank you so much. >> thank you. >>> still ahead, even as president trump tries to strike deals across the aisle, are moderates the new -- we can call them endangered species? i think they're extinct in congress these days. one is not yet, but

ipstream, the water flow a is manageds i -- is managed by the army corps of engineers. each of these entities have rate people but each of them oftentimes have their biological opinion. are way to fix this problem by changing the structure and learning how to be joined. -- joint. our government needs to the have to make -- work together. our bureaus in the interior and brother and sister agencies need to work better and be responsive to the people we serve and that is america. this is how we fight fires in the west. this is how the military operates. it is nothing new. it is a straightforward and this is how we're going to get to yes. with our joint model we can show that the government can work together and we can incorporate state and tribal interests at the beginning of the process to improve collaboration, consultation, and coordination. i have long believed our government makes too many top and decisions about giving the people on the ground and local communities a greater voice. that stops with this administration. we're streamlining the process to make sure it is

we recognize that we have asked the army corps of engineers to basically take oversight and management of not only the emergency power restoration and the initial part of rebuilding the entire grid. the entire rebuild of the grid, that's a long process. if we do it, we got to do it right. we don't want to wind up having this same discussion ten, 20, 30 years from now. >> so the army corps of engineers -- >> they're on the island, yes. >> are there any lessons that we've learned by these big storms that we're getting better at addressing? second question very quickly is there any fear besides climate change -- >> we're focused on response and coverry. that's what we're doing at dhs and fema. what we have learned is not losing any time. on harvey and this hurricane, maria, the president declared the disaster before the eye hit landfall that is absolutely critical to allowing us to come in and support of the governor before the disaster really hits. to me that has been a game-changer. >> i think the last 35 days have been a gut check for americans that we don't have a true culture of prep

. >> army corps of engineers has been given a mission to restore power on puerto rico. >> the response is not working. >> we are doing everything we can to assist the people suffering. >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alyson camerota. >> good morning. welcome to your "new day". the trump administration is defending its response to storm-ravaged puerto rico. fact, there are more than 10,000 people on the ground to help. homeland adviser says more are on the way. pentagon appointed a three-star is general, jeffrey buchanan, to lead the logistical efforts on that island. the two men heading up the recovery effort are said to join us on "new day" in the next half hour. >> we can't wait to talk to them to get the real facts. the situation in puerto rico on the ground is growing more desperate by the second if you talk to people on the ground there. our reportersers see widespread devastation. our cameras were there as people tried to cross this river using a wire and rope after maria wiped out a bridge. people 40 on miles outside of san juan are pleading for help. they are walking

army corps of engineers and people moving from their homes. >> flames and smoke sent into the sky. we'll be right back. >>> in texas part of a chemical plant is on fire northeast of houston. you can see huge flames and smoke pouring out of the plant. the plant lost power during hurricane harvey and refrigeration that was keeping those chemicals stable has failed. one container of chemicals exploded and caught fire yesterday. and the area around the plant has already been evacuated. meantime, as the floodwaters there start to recede, people are returning to their homes to survey the damage. in beaumont, texas, residents went without water for a second day. fox news correspondent ellison barber tells us harvey has displaced more than a million people all across the gulf coast region. >>> reporter: here in houston and other surrounding areas, there are new evacuation orders some voluntary, some are mandatory. but they are all because the u.s. army corps of engineers is releasing more water from two reservoirs that have been overflowing from harvey. it's one of many challenges for peopl

a piece of good news, the army corps of engineers delivered six water pumps to beaumont yesterday. they're being held in a staging area right now because an assessment needs to take place. the bad news is the waters of the naches river are still too high for the assessment to dwin or for them to be near installation. i'm told they're hoping to assess the scene. they're hoping for the waters to drop. i want to bring in officer hailey morrow from the beaumont police, you've been on the distribution site since yesterday. how do you quantify everyone you've been able to help? >> we're very happy with the way things are flowing. initially when it started, we weren't sure what to expect. we've done this once or twice before. in previous disasters. but yesterday we were running about 1 1 cars a minute. today we've scaled down just a little bit. we have gallons of water, mre's and ice and we're working on setting up additional distribution sites. so we pulled some people off of this operation and we're running about six to seven car as minute so still being able to help a lot of people. >>

pumps are coming from the army corps of engineers to get the water back online. are they at work yet? do you have a sense of how long it will take? >> caller: we can't give a time line. we start with plan "a." when it isn't working out, with we move to plan "b." we don't want to give false hope. we want everyone to know, we have back-up plans in place, we are continuously working on them and doing everything we can in this situation to help our citizens and get it back to a little sense of normalcy so people aren't panicking. >> i think seven days into this, there aren't enough letters to say how many plans you had to keep people safe. any numbers of how many people have been rescued or how many need to be? >> caller: the last number i got on need to be are over 1,000. >> over 1,000 people rescued in beaumont. this is one city. we have seen pictures. still some concern in your city. you are part of a family of police officers. everyone, it seems, who has ever met you is a police officer. your father, your husband, brother, sister, sister-in-law. how are you all do

the flooding happened after the army corps of engineers built protective dunes. >>> crai crayola willame of their new shade of blue that will replace the yellow retired back in march. blue moon bliss, bluetyful, and star spangled blue. iti like bluetyful, we agree. >> there's no time to noodle around when it comes to this deal we'll tell you when you can score the olive garden pasta pass. >>> season expires joked about some of his more memorable briefing on jimmy kimmel live. ♪ ditching the cover-up for good? that's cool. showing off my arms? that's cool. being comfortable without a shirt? that's cool. getting the body you want without surgery, needles, or downtime? that's coolsculpting. coolsculpting is the only fda-cleared non-invasive treatment that targets and freezes away stubborn fat cells. visit coolsculpting.com today and register for a chance to win a free treatment. you're danny? i'm steve. joseph, i'm steve. how are you? nice to meet you sir. no different from everyone else. they just want a job. they want respect and they want dignity. steve called fairly frantic. you know

adjustment to pay for this from debris removal, to debris pushing, power restoration, the army corps of engineers and all the emergency protective measures, police, fire, ems, tuck drivers. all of those things. 180 days. six months for the virgin islands and for puerto rico until we can get our hands around this. all of those functions and missions are all 100% federal cost share. we don't want anybody worried about people. we want them worried about people. two more questions. >> i wanted to follow up a little bit as you're starting to envision down the road. any sort of bailout might be part of this sort of broader recovery package that you look for in the supplemental. on that supplemental, i know the first one will be relatively soon. capitol hill says it could be sooner. >> as my colleague, mr. cohn alluded to, we're willing to negotiate with according if there's a better idea. it's important to understand that fema just got a $7.1 billion appropriation on october 1. we're going to ask for that in the form of an emergency supplemental to provide money into the funds that does this life-susta

mandatory evacuations remain in place for certain areas as the army corps of engineers release more water to manage the overwhelmed reservoirs. the associated press is reporting that several of houston's super fund sites are also flooded. the sites are designated by the e.p.a. is being among america's most intensely contaminated places. it's raising concerns that toxic materials could pose a danger to the public. the e.p.a. tells the a.p. that it has reviewed aerial imagery of the sites, but there's been no physical visit yet. president trump visited houston on saturday where he met with victims of the storm and volunteers helping with the recovery efforts. >> really i think people appreciate what's been done. it's been done very efficiently, very well, and that's what we're doing. we're very happy with the way everything is going. a lot of love. a lot of love. >> while putting on some classic love to serve food as a shelter, the president made this joke. >> my hands are too big. >> all right. could be seen as some by another controversial move by the trump administration. president trump

we decided to take action putting the united states corps of army engineers in charge of power restoration on the island. whether the military is in charge, depends on the mission and function. they're in charge of a lot not everything. the people of puerto rico are strong, competent and were there not diminishing capacity they're in charge. that's the best way to handle things. where not able and diminished capacity we're taking extreme steps. a direct federal assistance order given a mission assignment given, i've heard others on tv quibble whether it's a mission or not. make it clear, the general from the united states army corps of engineers given a in addition to restore power on puerto rico. at large, full stop. he has some priorities. his priorities are temporary power generation now. the big diesel-run generators supporting hospitals and lifesaving capabilities. two, permanent generation. restore the damped power generation capacity on the south of the island. three, transmission. the big lines transmitting power to and from and fourthly distribution. that's the last mile capillari

julie: the army corps of engineers is also closely working with fema as hurricane irma could cause widespreadnd structural damage all across the state of florida. major general don reilly is a retired army corps of engineer deputy commanding general and deputy chief of engineers. he's also a senior adviser for dawson and associates. he joins me now. thank you, sir, for joining us. >> thank you, julie. i appreciate the invitation. julie: so the primary risks are as follows: wind damage, tornadoes and a massive storm surge. so how are your people, the people of miami beach, handling this? are these buildings built to code since 1992 when hurricane andrew blew through? a lot of building codes actually changed for homes especially for the rooftops, specifically because they couldn't sustain category four winds. so miami beach, how does it, how does it hold up? >> locally, the decisions on where people build, of course, zoning laws are a local decision, and then building codes are the responsibility of the state. but the federal government is concerned about -- and specifically the corps of engine

the army corps of engineers estimates it needs $800 million of work to bring it up to date and that work would take a decade to complete. but the tens of thousands of people who live around lake okeechobee don't have a decade to wait. bit by bit the army corps has been discharging water from lake okeechobee to nearby rivers trying to make space for the rainfall that irma might bring. but that could drive the lake's water level by three to four feet if they get even less than a foot of rain. that would push herbert hoover dike to its absolute limit. the florida governor has ordered mandatory evacuations for a half dozen towns around the lake's southern edge. that's on the advice of the army corps. those mandatory evacuations start tomorrow morning. there's a lot to watch tonight. that's one of the crucial structures that's going to be under profound stress by what's about to hit southern florida and what continues to tear through the caribbean tonight. that does it for us tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. now it's time for "the last word" with lawrence o'donnell. >> i'm so glad you

tonight the army corps of engineers is assessing whether this dam will hold up. this woman was told to leave immediately. but there's a crippling confusion of information much the government unable to reach half of the island's municipalities. saying the evacuation zone affected up to 70,000 people. the actual number was much lower, just hundreds in certain communities near the dam. >> this is what we do all day. >> reporter: for many families, their only connection to the outside world is one spotty a.m. radio station. david castro told us he and his parents evacuated last night. >> my mother was terrified. i was frustrated, we're going back and forth, we had nowhere to go. >> reporter: but they soon returned when they heard nothing else from officials. the uncertainty is crushing. so is the seemingly endless wait for fuel. >> the lines are not only here, it's everywhere. >> robert martinez is desperate to call his daughter who lives near philadelphia. they hadn't spoken since the storm. >> it's frustrating to communicate with our families. back home, they can't

. >> in addition to fema and department of homeland security is army corps of engineers is in puertoico working to restore the electrical grid. >> the floating navy the comfort should be arriving next week. >> trevor: you have to be impressed how much the military can do, especially having a hospital on a shirntion amazing, unless you suffer from seasickness. they can't help you then. they're the problem and the solution at the same time. take this, now you're sick. take this. this is not going anywhere. could there be more help? sure. one thing that's not helping, nearly half a million americans don't realize puerto rico is part of the u.s. and that matters because americans who know puerto ricans are u.s. citizens are twice as likely to support the federal government sending them aid, a raw deal for puerto ricans. what if half your family didn't know you were part of their family. that would suck. i think it's called tiffany syndrome and it really isn't fair. just half of them don't know. ( laughter ) and as if that wasn't enough, there's another thing that is working against puert

army corps of engineers said there will be a delay, work at the jersey shore will begin next month. >porter: we're dry and clear out there, let's take a look at what's happening to the roads, i-95 past academy, southbound traffic on your right heading toward center city. no problems on i-95. i would say we're looking good, mass transit we did spot a train, an issue 503, the lansdale doylestown line, they are operating with two cars short there will be overcrowding and they will skip stops, too. >> reporter: jose not a tropical storm any longer. we're expecting a high of 85 degrees around 3:30 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. temperatures progress a mix of sun and clouds and clouds rolling in from jose. 88 on saturday, 80 for the start of the union game a the eagle you will sizzle, bring along cool water or buy some at the stadium. we're going for a high of 91. >> new on "action news," brigham young in utah is reversing it's ban on celebrating caffeinated drinks on campus. they made the change after receive requests for students to serve caffeinated soda. the church of jesus christ ladder day -- latt

the army corps of engineers seems to have things under control here. a lot of people on the east coast seem to believe they may be out of the woods but that is not necessarily the case. they are still expecting tropical storm-force wind here with hurricane-force winds gusting at times. that will happen tomorrow. and the governor says don't get too comfortable on the east coast. the hurricane could also change courses again. carter evans, cbs news, jupiter, florida. >> quijano: irma killed at least 27 people as it roared across the caribbean sea. its last stop was in cuba. will grant of our partner network bbc news, is there. >> reporter: well, i can tell you that from havana, which up until this stage has been pretty protected from this storm, it's clear that the winds are now picking up significantly, and a hurricane warning is in place for here as well. we've seen the sheer amount of rain and water that has hit coastal villages along cuba's northern coast. the small fishing village of mitchell islargely submerged. telecommunications to those parts of

we're here by the addicks dam and people have told me here a part of the problem is the army corps of engineers released water into this area, so some people are a little mad at those that are seemingly trying to help out. you see some of these supplies that have been brought for those that have been affected. you have gasoline cans to presumably power some of the motors here that are being launched out. someone's air mattress here, food and supplies for those emerging from the water. it's heartbreaking to watch this all morning long. here we are a week later and people are still living through what they've been living through when the hurricane first hit, if not worse. i was speaking to one gentleman who said there's parts where the water has gone up. there are still high water rescues happening behind here. there are people stranded in that community behind and sme, yes, some people are afraid to leave but partly because they're afraid of the security of their own homes. they're worried about looters. we saw the houston police department go in with a high water vehicle earlier this morning. t

the army corps of engineers. we would probably need them to come in and be helpful in some of the clearing of roads, the stability of bridges, some of the engineering work that they do that is critical to have the infrastructure to deliver aid to the appropriate places. prioritizing communications. getting communications equipment on the island and allowing these mobile communication units to expand. not just access to cell phones, but also access to the internet. and access for the ability of first responders to communicate with one another. these are examples of the things that hopefully we can deliver and the u.s. military and federal government has unique capabilities of delivering aid beyond ports and seaports. seaports and airports. they're already conducting some air drops. but until you have communications you're not going to know what the needs are and where the places are. these are unique capabilities of the federal government that quite frankly most states don't have and puerto rico doesn't have. repor

army corps of engineers to discuss lake okeechobee water levels and the herbert dike. oday. the u.s. army corps of engineers and the south florida water management district have begun lowering the water levels in lake okeechobee as well as surrounding canals and moving as much water as possible throughout its flood control system in preparation for the storm. routine inspections of the hooper herbert dike are taking place and additional inspections will take place once the lake approaches 17 feet. right now it's 13.68 feet. we've seen reports of grocery stores being out of water. members of the media, we ask that you partner with us to identify areas of need and report any confirmed shortages to the state emergency operations center by calling 850-921-0127. if you call, we will work with our retailers to make sure they're getting the supplies back as quickly as possible. yesterday i signed a state of emergency. this allows us to get all the reinto our state including bottled water and nonperishable foods. while retailers are working as quickly as possible to fill grocer

of rain on this area, swelling a manmade lake. when engineers noticed the crack here at the guajataca dam, a desperate scramble began to evacuate. tonight the army corps of engineers is assessing whether this dam will hold up as residents near it are evacuated. this woman says she was told to leave immediately. but there's a crippling confusion of information. the government still unable to reach more than half of the island's municipalities. authorities at first saying the evacuation zone affected up to 70,000 people. today we learned the actual number was much lower, just hundreds in certain communities near the dam. >> this is what we do all day. >> reporter: for many families their only connection to the outside world is one spotty a.m. radio station. david castro told us he and his parents evacuated last night when neighbors heard about potential dam failure. >> my mother was terrified. i was just frustrated because we were going back and forth with nowhere to go. >> reporter: but they soon returned when they heard nothing else from officials. the uncertainty is crushing. so is the seemingly endless wait for fuel. >> lines. that's not only here.