According to White House press reports and tweets from President Trump, things are moving well as far as relief efforts for Puerto Rico go in the aftermath of the destruction brought upon the island by Hurricane Maria. But the reality on the ground and the reality of those reports are worlds apart, according to Puerto Rican officials. On Friday, September 29, San Juan Mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz became infuriated when she was made aware of remarks made by acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, who said "it is really a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane."
"Well maybe from where she's standing it's a good news story," Mayor Yulin Cruz fired back. "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. When you have to pull people down from buildings -- I'm sorry, that really upsets me and frustrates me," the mayor then went on to say, before concluding that "This is a 'people are dying' story. It's a life-or-death story."
While it has been reported (HLS Advisor Tom Bossert) that 51 of the island's 69 hospitals are up and meeting standards to be able to "see, treat and admit" patients, the buildings, and its equipment depend on diesel fuel in the absence of power. And with the entire island out of electricity, the threat that fuel runs low is a constant one. Prior to the hospitals picking up, they were faced with imminent tragedy as patients on life support held on, as was the case for one Florida nursing home after Irma.
FEMA has been able to stock up a good deal of food, water, and supplies, and those efforts should expand quickly following the lifting of Jones Act restrictions that slowed the delivery of aid to the island. The President had faced ridicule for stalling on the move, at one point implying that shippers were against lifting the Jones Act because it would equate to U.S. shipping businesses losing money to competitors. But now the problem facing the distribution of aid is the destruction of roads and highways and communication lines. Because any prospective chain of command may be lost as trucks travel out to the interior of the island, those in charge of efforts have been hesitant to move tons of goods just sitting at the docks. Mayor Yulin Cruz would later take to the press and pinned the lag in relief efforts on "inefficiency and the bureaucracy."
In a message directed at Trump, Yulin Cruz said: "I am asking the President of the United States to make sure somebody is in charge that is up to the task of saving lives."
