Pres. Trump Defends Federal Aid Response In Puerto Rico
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - More than 12 days since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico most residents are still without power, food and clean water remain in short supply.
President Donald Trump plans to visit the island on Tuesday. Outside the White House Sunday night, he commended the work of federal aid workers.
"Tremendous progress being made, we're getting the roads open, we're getting a lot of things done, really at a record clip," he said.
And though more troops are on the ground and more fuel is reaching the island most Puerto Ricans are still without power. Food is also still scarce and just half of the island's residents have drinking water. FEMA is calling this -quote- "the most logistically challenging event the US has ever seen".
"We have been moving and pushing as fast as the situation allows, everyday we make progress, everyday we have some setbacks," said FEMA chief Brock Long.
Illinois Representative Luis Gutiérrez just returned from Puerto Rico. He's among the several politicians urging the president to stop attacks on twitter, like this one from a few days ago that read, in part, "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help."
"Shutdown the Twitter account, open your heart, help them do their job, send them the resources," said Gutiérrez.
President Trump says of those who question his commitment to rebuilding Puerto Rico, they are -quote- "politically motivated ingrates".
Long returns to Puerto Rico today and is expected to give a first-hand update on response and recovery later this morning. Further complicating an already difficult situation, parts of Puerto Rico are, today, under a flash flood warning.
