A calamity and its response

After supplies took longer than they should have to get to those in need, the 3.4 million Americans of Puerto Rico, who still cry out for urgent aid after the epic devastation of Hurricane Maria, are getting life-saving federal help. Keep it coming. The effort required to rescue the people of the island, much less rebuild destroyed infrastructure, is Herculean. The professionals of FEMA, the U.S. military and deployed mainland first responders are working around the clock.

That is now paying visible dividends. Many of the hundreds of thousands who lack fresh water are at last getting it. After Maria’s immediate aftermath left all but 11 of the island’s 69 hospitals without power, 29 hospitals are now up and running.

But, it’s clear more could have been done at the top: As the Washington Post noted, FEMA opted for airlifts to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of eight U.S. Air Force cargo planes capable of carrying 100,000 pounds of cargo.

By contrast, a Navy cargo ship carries 7 million pounds of supplies. One properly prepositioned could have delivered more aid more quickly.

And more can be done now: Why on Earth would this notoriously anti-regulation administration refrain from waiving the archaic Jones Act — which only lets U.S.-flagged ships to deliver fuel and other products between U.S. ports — for an island that’s on its knees?