<P> As of October 1, there were ongoing fuel shortage and distribution problems, with 720 of 1,100 gas stations open . </P> <P> The Guajataca Dam was structurally damaged, and on September 22, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for parts of the area in response . Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate the area, with about 70,000 thought to be at risk . </P> <P> The entirety of Puerto Rico was declared a Federal Disaster Zone shortly after the hurricane . The Federal Emergency Management Agency planned to open an air bridge with three to four aircraft carrying essential supplies to the island daily starting on September 22 . Beyond flights involving the relief effort, limited commercial traffic resumed at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport on September 22 under primitive conditions . A dozen commercial flights operated daily as of September 26 . By October 3, there were 39 commercial flights per day from all Puerto Rican airports, about a quarter of the normal number . The next day, airports were reported to be operating at normal capacity . In marked contrast to the initial relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, on September 22, the only signs of relief efforts were beleaguered Puerto Rican government employees . The territory's government contracted 56 small companies to assist in restoring power . Eight FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) teams were deployed to assist in rescue efforts . </P> <P> On September 24, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill under Rear Admiral Jeffrey W. Hughes along with the 2,400 marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived to assist in relief efforts . By September 24, there were 13 United States Coast Guard ships deployed around Puerto Rico assisting in the relief and restoration efforts: the National Security Cutter USCGC James; the medium endurance cutters USCGC Diligence, USCGC Forward, USCGC Venturous, and USCGC Valiant; the fast response cutters USCGC Donald Horsley, USCGC Heriberto Hernandez, USCGC Joseph Napier, USCGC Richard Dixon, and USCGC Winslow W. Griesser; the coastal patrol boat USCGC Yellowfin; and the seagoing buoy tenders USCGC Cypress and USCGC Elm . Federal aid arrived on September 25 with the reopening of major ports . Eleven cargo vessels collectively carrying 1.3 million liters of water, 23,000 cots, and dozens of generators arrived . Full operations at the ports of Guayanilla, Salinas, and Tallaboa resumed on September 25, while the ports of San Juan, Fajardo, Culebra, Guayama, and Vieques had limited operations . The United States Air Force Air Mobility Command has dedicated eight C - 17 Globemaster aircraft to deliver relief supplies . The Air Force assisted the Federal Aviation Administration with air traffic control repairs to increase throughput capacity . </P>

Damage caused by hurricane maria in puerto rico