The pressure is on Congress and the White House to speed up the disaster relief process to Puerto Rico. Millions are currently without power after Hurricane Maria and the governor has alerted the public of a materializing “humanitarian crisis”. Governor Ricardo Rossello heavily stressed that Puerto Rico is a US territory whose people are factually American citizens. “We need to prevent a humanitarian crisis occurring in America,” he explained.
Rossello is not the only one urging the U.S. government to step in. Hilary Clinton has called on the Department of Defense to send a Navy medical ship to the island, while Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi advocates for Republicans to join with Democrats in this dire time of need. A sturdy relief package is what is required according Pelosi. “The Trump Administration must act immediately to make available additional Department of Defense resources for search-and-rescue operations, law enforcement and transportation needs,” she said in a statement Monday.
Immediate danger is impending: the Guajataca dam is on the cusp of breaking. The dam situated in the island’s northwest corner is spewing water after suffering a “critical infrastructure failure” after the Category 5 storm.
According to the National Guard, residents in the immediate vicinity of the dam have been evacuated. It is absolutely imperative at this point that the U.S. government step in and aid Puerto Rico in this dire time of need. President Donald Trump has promised federal help for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands yet has not yet visited the struggling locations. A White House official said Trump is planning to visit Puerto Rico, but a date has not been set due to “infrastructure concerns” on the island.
