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Puerto Rico: Millions Without Electricity, Water, Food & Fuel Six Days After Hurricane Maria

HeadlineSep 26, 2017

In Puerto Rico, Governor Ricardo Roselló has asked for more government aid in order to avert a total humanitarian catastrophe, six days after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. More than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the territory remain without adequate food, water and fuel. The Category 4 storm brought record rainfall and catastrophic flooding, destroyed power lines and left the entire island in the dark. At least 13 people have died so far. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said, “What we’re now seeing is that the aftermath is almost more horrific than the actual passing of the hurricane itself.”

On Monday night, President Trump appeared to blame Puerto Rico for its problems, writing, “Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble.. …It’s [sic] old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars…. …owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities–and doing well.” These were Trump’s first tweets about the disaster in Puerto Rico, after Trump spent the weekend instead attacking NFL players for protesting against racism and police brutality. We’ll have more on Puerto Rico after headlines.

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