The Trump Administration is working on rebuilding Florida and Texas after massive hurricanes. The devastation in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico from subsequent hurricanes have only added to the demanding need for recovery.
President Donald Trump will travel to the U.S. territory on Tuesday. The visit will most likely shape up to be an awkward one, due to the back-and-forth spat between Trump and Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The mayor of San Juan must understand Trump cannot independently delegate money to the territory. Congress has to approve any spending and with the current deadlock over a possible budget deal, I would not hold my breath.
Phil Helsel and Saphora Smith for NBC say Cruz accused the Trump Administration of “killing us with the inefficiency and bureaucracy.”
Trump pledged to spare no effort in helping Puerto Ricans recover from Hurricane Maria’s mass destruction.
Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rossello, said the administration is being responsive to his requests and is working as fast as they can.
According to Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen and Ryan Browne for CNN, this past Tuesday, the U.S. military announced it would be sending more aircraft and ships to increase the speed of daily relief and recovery missions in Puerto Rico.
It is going to be important these missions occur rapidly, but getting them there may be difficult at first.
General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the priority is making sure the airfields can operate.
The U.S. Navy also deployed the USNS Comfort for medical assistance which will serve as a hospital and treatment area.
On Friday, an Army spokesperson said more than 4,900 soldiers and Army Corps of Engineers personnel were in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The National Guards said they expect nearly 1,500 troops to be activated and sent to the territory in the coming days.
FEMA is active and on the ground in Puerto Rico and the Department of Defense is supporting their immediate priorities. These priorities include: debris and route clearance of critical transportation routes, re-opening seaports, restoring utilities and implementing a commodities distribution plan. Nearly 2 million liters of water and over 1 million meals have been distributed to citizens throughout the island.
FEMA’s work is extremely important at this point because when Congress finally delegates the money, the rebuilding effort will go into effect immediately.
Right now, it looks like an atomic bomb was dropped on the territory. There is complete destruction everywhere. There is no electricity, no running water, no fuel, etc. It truly is a state of emergency. However, the money is simply not there and this is what some politicians need to realize.
Trump is committed to helping all of the victims of the previous hurricanes. All available resources of the federal government are available to Puerto Rico and things are as they are supposed to be.