Tag

#Puerto-Rico

3 incidents

Updated August 28, 2018 Foreign Policy & War
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Puerto Rico Paper Towels: Trump's Response to 3,000 Deaths — Trophy Moment

Trump visited Puerto Rico nine days after a storm that killed nearly 3,000 people and left the island without power for months — the longest blackout in U.S. history. His visit featured a trophy-style photo op where he tossed paper towels to survivors. He told them their death toll compared favorably to 'a real disaster like Katrina.' Months later, as the official death toll was revised upward toward 3,000, Trump claimed the number was fabricated. Puerto Rico remained without power for 11 months in some areas — the longest blackout in U.S. territory history. FEMA's response was widely criticized as inadequate.

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Puerto-RicoHurricane-Mariapaper-towelsfirst-termdisaster-response
Updated August 28, 2018 Federal Dismantlement
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity

Hurricane Maria and the Federal Abandonment of Puerto Rico

Maria caused the largest blackout in U.S. history and destroyed Puerto Rico's infrastructure. The Trump administration delayed FEMA resources, deployed far fewer personnel and supplies than comparable mainland disasters, slow-walked waiver of the Jones Act, sent paper towels rather than aid at a critical moment, and accused Puerto Rican officials of corruption when they asked for more help. Harvard researchers estimated 2,975 excess deaths; the Trump administration initially reported 64.

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Puerto-Ricohurricane-mariadisaster-responsefirst-termFEMA
Updated August 28, 2018 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Hurricane Maria: Catastrophic Federal Failure in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico lost nearly all electrical power — the largest power outage in U.S. history at that point. FEMA's response was slower and less resourced than its response to simultaneous Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The Jones Act (prohibiting foreign ships from transporting cargo between U.S. ports) was waived immediately for Texas and Florida but not for Puerto Rico until 11 days after landfall. Trump attacked Mayor Cruz personally, calling her 'nasty' and suggesting Puerto Ricans wanted 'everything done for them.' Trump's visit ten days after the storm became notorious when he tossed paper towel rolls into a crowd of disaster survivors. Harvard's independent study estimated 4,645 deaths attributable to the storm and its aftermath — 73 times the official government count.

Sources
4
Puerto-RicoHurricane-MariaFEMAfirst-termrule-of-law