FEMA chief: Political disputes are hurting Puerto Rico relief

WASHINGTON — Political differences are hurting the U.S. government’s response to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday.

He did not identify which individual officials he blamed, but the mayor in San Juan has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump for her criticism about how quickly aid is reaching people on the island.

“The unity is not where I want it to be,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said. “When you cannot get elected officials at the local level (to) come to a joint FEMA office because they disagree with the politics of the governor, it makes things difficult and the information fragmented.”

Earlier Monday, Long said in television interviews that he had “filtered out” San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz, Trump’s most vocal critic about the hurricane response. Cruz’s spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cruz complained Monday via Twitter that “San Juan legislators arrived to the Emergency Operations Center to discuss debris and flooding. The mayor was not invited.”

On Sunday she tweeted: “Power collapses in San Juan hospital with 2 patients being transferred out. Have requested support from @FEMA—Brock NOTHING!”

Cruz backs the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Gov. Ricardo Rossello supports the island becoming another U.S. state.

Long on Monday expressed frustration with the criticism his agency has faced.

He attributed the criticism to the inability to disseminate messages to the population via social media or cell phones because the telecommunications were disabled.