Although Hurricanes Irma and Harvey were less costly regarding death toll and damage thanks
to the preparedness of the Trump administration, Puerto Rico wasn�t as fortunate. Instead
of blaming themselves, however, some of the leadership of the devastated territory is
playing politics instead.
Despite the mayor of San Juan criticizing President Trump for ignoring the suffering
of his people, the truth seems to be quite the opposite, according to The Gateway Pundit.
American aid is sitting in a warehouse, rotting, and the leaders in PR are so inept that they
can�t even get people to the ports to pick up the supplies. Rather, it�s the managers,
leaders, and politicians who should be carrying the responsibility on their shoulders.
Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz had issued an emotional plea for help on Friday, while criticizing
Trump�s response to the situation, saying that, �you are killing us with the inefficiency�
of the distribution process.
However, it appears the real source of the problem lies at the local level, rather than
federal. Drivers from the Teamsters Union are not showing up to work, as they are not
permitted to act because the union is on strike at the moment. With only one-fifth of drivers
arriving at the ports to distribute the supplies, over 9,500 containers filled with aid haven�t
been moved. One person tweeted a lengthy message outlining the situation, saying, �Did mayor
of San Juan mention union workers at port are on STRIKE & demanding money first before
distributing supplies off boat?
� Colonel Michael A. Valle, the leader of the Hurricane Maria relief efforts, made it
public knowledge that the problem isn�t federal, but rather, a problem with local
distribution in Puerto Rico. �It�s a lack of drivers for the transport trucks, the 18
wheelers. Supplies we have. Trucks we have. There are ships full of supplies, backed up
in the ports, waiting to have a vehicle to unload into,� he said.
�However, only 20% of the truck drivers show up to work. These are private citizens
in Puerto Rico, paid by companies that are contracted by the government,� Valle concluded.
There is such a stark deficiency in the logistical support that it�s almost impossible for
these goods to get into the hands of those who need them most.
In addition to the shortage of drivers, a diesel crisis is plaguing the island as well.
At the moment, distributing fuel across Puerto Rico is FEMA�s number one priority to help
relieve the supply bottleneck issue, according to NPR.
Conservative commentator Curt Schilling also acknowledged this fact. �I�ve talked to
politicians in both states (Texas and Florida) and the governor of Puerto Rico. All have
said that the president did everything in a pace that they�ve never seen before as
far as him releasing money and releasing assets into these theaters. The execution on the
ground has been horrifying in some cases,� he said.
In contrast to the San Juan mayor�s comments, the governor of Puerto Rico ended up praising
Trump as well, saying, �every time we�ve asked them to execute, they�ve executed
quickly, � according to Breitbart.
As is usually the case, the mainstream media�s depiction is in contrast to the reality of
the situation. The Trump administration has done all it can to alleviate the situation;
the blame instead rests on the mid and upper-level leaders within the island whose response has
been less than stellar.
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