Are We Now Just Letting People Die?

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, destroying the electricity grid and leaving many of its 3.4 million people desperate for food, water and gasoline. Since then, the American people have watched as the Trump Administration has fumbled its responsibilities in the worst disaster recovery response since the Federal Emergency Administration was created.

The incompetence of Donald Trump and the people in his administration has been made public, for all the world to see.

Three weeks after the storm, this administration is bragging about "14,000 federal workers on the ground in Puerto Rico," while continuing to bemoan how "logistically challenging" it is for them.

Incompetence always has an excuse. And we have all learned that Donald Trump is the king of excuses!

In 1992, I was one of tens of thousands of people involved in the Hurricane Andrew recovery effort. While there were legitimate criticisms of the Bush Administration's response at the time, it was magnitudes better than how this administration has chosen to respond.

Within FIVE DAYS the federal government and neighboring states had mobilized 20,000 National Guard and active duty troops to South Dade County. By this time in the Hurricane Recovery efforts, more than 20,000 troops -- primarily comprised of the 82nd Airborne and 10th Mountain Divisions -- joined more than 6,000 National Guards troops in the recovery efforts to help with the 250,000 people left homeless in the affected areas. They joined another 1000 FEMA personnel, mostly temporary adjustors, in the effected area.

Let that sink in. Three weeks out from landfall of Hurricane Andrew, there were more than 26,200 guard and active duty troops in South Florida, and another 1000 federal employees, to help the 250,000 people left homeless. In total, "30,074 DoD and National Guard personnel were deployed to disaster locations in Florida."

That's one federal responder for every 8 people affected.

By contrast, Trump and his sycophants are bragging about one federal responder for every 243 people affected. They are calling this "a good news story."

Trump apologists keep trying to blame Puerto Rico for its incompetence. Yet under the 1988 Stafford Act (The law’s full title is the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, P.L. 93-288), the federal government is supposed to get involved in disasters only if they are of “such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments.” The Congressional Research Service describes it this way:

Only after both local and state/tribal government resources have been overwhelmed, and the governor of the state has requested assistance, does the federal government begin to “supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering.

I doubt any honest person could argue that Puerto Rico does not meet that standard.

As a liaison between military efforts and the 40,000 out-of-area volunteers on the ground, there was a concerted effort to utilize all the resources made available for recovery efforts each and every day for months.  But the military did a lot of the heavy lifting.  Not only were there 30,074 military personnel, but "DoD provided much of the food, water, sheltering, transportation and medical care, even though the Federal Response Plan assigns those responsibilities to other agencies."

Why isn't Puerto Rico getting the same level of support?  Granted, there is a much, much greater need, but Puerto Rico isn't even getting Hurricane Andrew level of support at this moment (and it's been 3 weeks).  "Reporters on the ground in Puerto Rico have heard repeatedly that there was little sign of the government, or none at all, in the days after the storm hit the island."  Three weeks after Maria struck, "just 15 percent of the island’s electricity customers have power."

Moreover, the more than 70,000 people on the ground in South Florida were supplemented by Naval and Marine personnel who were stationed in ports close to the damaged areas.  Helicopters from the USS Sylvania delivered large amounts of food inland, making up most of the 850,000 meals delivered by military forces to victims of the hurricane.  Several Navy repair ships, with crews up to 1,000, used their engineering capability (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc.), and crews to re-roof and repair 43 South Florida schools.  The Marine Corps built two 2,500-person Life Support Center tent towns for displaced civilians.

We have heard of nothing similar in Puerto Rico.  The Navy has two amphibious ships off the coast of Puerto Rico (the USS Kearsarge and the USS Oak Hill), but it took public pressure from the Clintons to send the hospital ship USNS Comfort.  What is clear is that the Trump Administration is much more interested in taking credit for the relatively minor efforts to address the great needs of Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

America First seems like nothing more than an empty slogan as the Americans in Puerto Rico seem to be the last people this Administration intends to help.  Puerto Rico can't even account for all its dead because the island is trying to care for the living.  On an island of 3.4 million Americans, the Trump Administration wants to be hailed for providing 3,000 meals and 4,500 liters of water a day.  The Bush Administration was serving 35,000 meals a day for less than 8% of Puerto Rico's affected population.  The difference in response is simply staggering...