The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, sharply rebuked the Trump administration's efforts to aid the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria, and delivered an emotional plea to "anyone who can hear us to save us all."
"I will do what I never thought I was going to do. I am begging, begging anyone who can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency," Carmen Yulín Cruz said on Friday.
Cruz's plea comes as Puerto Ricans struggle to recover from the devastating impacts of Maria, after the storm slammed into the island nine days ago, leaving its millions of residents without power.
Aid has been slow to arrive to residents on the island, who are in increasingly dire need of food, water and medicine.
The Trump administration has come under fierce scrutiny from Puerto Ricans and lawmakers for not helping the U.S. territory quickly enough.
The U.S. Virgin Islands' congressional delegate and the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee on Friday called for an "emergency" Oversight hearing on the disaster response.
“Urgent action by our Committee now could help accelerate the federal response to the devastation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and make a measurable and significant difference in the lives of American families there,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) wrote in a joint letter.
The president insisted on Friday afternoon federal officials were doing a great job with relief efforts.
"We have done an incredible job, considering there's absolutely nothing to work with," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"And a very big question is, what are we going to do with the power plant? Because the power plant is totally wiped out," he said. "There is nothing. The power grid is gone."
Cruz made headlines earlier on Friday after she issued a sharp condemnation of acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke's comments in which she called the federal government's response to the devastation "a good news story."
“Maybe from where she’s standing, it’s a good news story,” Cruz said. “When you’re drinking from a creek, it’s not a good news story. When you don’t have food for a baby, it’s not a good news story.”
She added: “Damn it, this is not a good news story. This is a people-are-dying story.”
Navydevildoc on September 30th, 2017 at 04:43 UTC »
It's been lost in the chaff, but the US Navy's hospital ship USNS COMFORT deployed today for Puerto Rico from Norfolk, VA.
She is the second largest level one trauma center in the eastern US, 13 stories tall and the length of 3 football fields and she will be in San Juan in a few days to be the regional trauma and specialty referral center for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean at large.
She can make her own power, water, and oxygen; has a wide array of satellite and radio communications systems, can embark both military and civilian health care providers, and is a critical command and control node for disaster relief operations for the Department of Defense.
Here is an idea for what she brings to the table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JNNYaINshQ
luisro92 on September 30th, 2017 at 04:27 UTC »
Puerto Rican here. We (my extended family & me) are using a generator to power our fridge, modem and a fan for 8 hours. Having internet service somehow makes me privileged right now, so I'm trying to use it.
No one has electricity and most people don't have running water. Gas and drinking water are still scarce and hard to get. Only cash is being accepted at most stores, but many banks are still not open and many ATMs still don't work, no credit cards accepted. Most phones don't work unless you are in the highway and in the metro area, so if someone had to dial 911 from home they would die trying. Hospitals are running out of diesel to power up their generators every other day so people are dying because they can't get treated for their dialysis or any other type of life support, because the diesel is scarce or unavailable. Some people are still land locked and some are drinking water from creeks. People are doing hours long lines to get food or gas. I would not end if I were to mention everything going wrong at the moment. To top it all off many of us have not been to work since hurricane Irma which was almost a month ago, so we don't have any money (many people are loosing their jobs permanently too) and we have been stuck inside our homes for that long, with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling all day. Our houses have become scarcity Jails. This is a very draining and mentally straining situation. PLEASE don't be fooled by any media outlet or politician saying we are doing better, WE ARE NOT, keep talking of us, we need it, I beg you.
Heli023 on September 30th, 2017 at 01:55 UTC »
Anybody have suggestions on what one could feasably do to help out?