Puerto Rico response inadequate, critics say
WASHINGTON — The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of its efforts in Texas and Florida.
Five days after the Category 4 storm slammed into Puerto Rico, many of the more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the territory were still without adequate food, water and fuel. Flights off the island were infrequent, communications were spotty and roads were clogged with debris. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.
In Washington, officials said no armada of Navy ships was headed to the island because supplies could be carried in more efficiently by plane. The Trump administration ruled out temporarily setting aside federal restrictions on foreign ships’ transportation of cargo, saying it wasn’t needed.
The government had waived those rules in Florida and Texas until last week.
Though the administration said the focus on aid was strong, when two Cabinet secretaries spoke at a conference on another subject — including Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whose agency is helping restore the island’s power — neither made any mention of Puerto Rico or Hurricane Maria.
Democratic lawmakers with large Puerto Rican constituencies back on the mainland characterized the response so far as too little and too slow. The confirmed toll
from Maria jumped to at least 49 Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Ricans are Americans,” said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who traveled to Puerto Rico over the weekend to assess the damage. “We cannot and will not turn our backs on them.”
President Donald Trump was expected at the end of last week to visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, after they had been ravaged by Hurricane Irma. But the trip was delayed after Maria set its sights on the islands.
Trump said during an appearance in New York last week that Puerto Rico was in “very tough shape.” But over the weekend, he made no mention of the ongoing humanitarian difficulties as he tweeted criticisms of NFL football players for their protests during the national anthem.
Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert landed Monday in San Juan, appearing with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello at a brief news briefing. Though Rossello had urgently called for more emergency assistance over the weekend, he expressed his gratitude for the help so far.
Long said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We realize that.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied the president was distracted from Puerto Rico. She said the federal response has “been anything but slow,” adding that “there’s been an unprecedented push through of billions of dollars in federal assistance that the administration has fought for.”
Energy Department crews are working in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, coordinating with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, FEMA and a team from the New York Power Authority, among others.
An eight-member team from the Western Area Power Authority, an Energy Department agency, assisted with initial damage assessments in Puerto Rico and has been redeployed to St. Thomas. A spokeswoman said additional responders would go to Puerto Rico as soon as transportation to the hurricane-ravaged island could be arranged.
FEMA said it had more than 700 staffers on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The administration said it will continue to enforce the Jones Act, which requires that goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flagged ships. Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said the agency had concluded there were already enough U.S.-flagged vessels available.
On Capitol Hill, congressional leaders were talking about how to pay for it all. Puerto Rico was already struggling from steep financial and economic challenges before Maria made landfall.
Lawmakers approved a $15 billion hurricane relief packaged after Harvey hit Texas, but billions more will likely now be needed to respond to Maria.