Puerto Rico still in the dark 100 days later

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Um, well if I were in charge I wouldn't be proclaiming a victory as Trump did just days after Maria hit. I wouldn't be bragging about what a tremendous job everyone did to get PR back on its feet, etc. The issue for me has less to do with coming up with a solution that provides "immediate" electricity to everyone (I doubt that's possible), and more to do with the disinterested, nonchalant attitude the Trump administration has taken. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out we're not doing enough. We're the richest, most powerful country in the world and thousands of our citizens are suffering and we're just ignoring them, probably because Trump's America doesn't think they're really citizens. Ultimately the best solutions are going to involve spending more money, which is something they don't want to do.

Ok. So your solution is to go back in time and not be a loudmouth like Trump. Let's take a look at "just ignoring them" because Trump is a 'racist':

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/ ... uerto-rico

https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-maria

https://www.Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico/

https://Twitter.com/femaregion2

So, as you can see we have multiple easily accessed sources to see what FEMA is doing in PR. Since I'm fairly certain you can't be bothered to click on the link and skim through them looking for data that I'm fairly certain you don't want to see in the first place let's just do a quick breakout:

$114 million has been distributed to individuals for housing assistance and critical needs

$384.2 million in public assistance has been awarded for funding to state and local organizations to perform emergency protective measures such as use of temporary generators, flood control, conducting safety inspections, and debris removal

$215 million to the Puerto Rico Electric and Power Authority (PREPA), and $70 million to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) to perform repairs to aid in the restoration of power and water services to Puerto Rico’s estimated 3.5 million residents. The remaining $99.2 million in public assistance funding was awarded to multiple public and qualifying non-profit organizations

Private non-profit hospitals, schools, and utility providers, and non-critical organizations such as community centers, daycares, and shelters may be eligible for public assistance, and are encouraged to submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) to the government of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: the deadline to apply for assistance has been extended to 3/20/18.

U.S. Virgin Islands: the deadline to apply for assistance is 01/08/18

There are dozens of pages of news releases demonstrating vast sums of money and sweat equity being thrown at PR:

https://www.fema.gov/news-releases?fiel ... erm_tid_1=



All sorts of links showing all sorts of services being offered:

https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-maria



Working on the power grid:

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/govern ... and-future

New York Power Authority (NYPA)
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA)
Puerto Rico Energy Commission
Consolidated Edison (Con Edison)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Edison International
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)
Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Grid Modernization Lab Consortium (GMLC)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

So. And this took all of five minutes to slap together.

What is it again that you think should be happening aside from time travelling and urging Mr. Trump to not be himself?

- Doc

[_EAllusion]

There is a lot of material out there on how the PR response could be less bungled. I think you can legitimately debate to what extent that is Monday morning quarterbacking, but the notion that unless someone themselves is a disaster response expert they cannot criticize what happened is not sound.

Regarding Trump's rhetoric, I think it goes beyond him misleading about the situation on the ground. It is gross that he bragged about how few deaths occurred when over a thousand people have died and it was obvious that this was on the path to being the case when he was doing that. I think if political leaders, Trump first among them, focused more rhetorical energy on what an unmitigated disaster PR is there may be more citizen response to provide assistance. That didn't and isn't happening, and it looks like the reason for that is simply that Trump wants to avoid acknowledging that bad things have happened and does not care about Puerto Rico.

[_Kevin Graham]

Let's take a look at "just ignoring them" because Trump is a 'racist':

Earth to dipsheit. FEMA is not Trump, and neither are doing enough. Hows that? Nothing in your long-winded rant refutes anything I said. That you think someone has to be an expert in disaster relief in order to criticize a response is pretty indicative of a stupid person. Don't be that person.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Whether President cres about PR or not isn't debatable. That's settled.

The question is whether or not we're doing enough. We're throwing billions at a territory that is ineptly managed, and requires outside intervention because they're morons, incapable, and corrupt. Throwing money at thieves is insane. I say tie our assistance to statehood and strict oversight. Otherwise we should cut them loose.

- Doc

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Let's take a look at "just ignoring them" because Trump is a 'racist':

Earth to dipsheit. FEMA is not Trump, and neither are doing enough. Hows that? Nothing in your long-winded rant refutes anything I said. That you think someone has to be an expert in disaster relief in order to criticize a response is pretty indicative of a stupid person. Don't be that person.

Aaaaaand there it is.

- Doc

[_Kevin Graham]

Here are five important things to know about Puerto Rico 100 days after Maria:

#5 Trump failed Puerto Rico

President Trump is ultimately responsible for what happens in Puerto Rico.

Under the Stafford Act, the president takes the lead role in disaster response and recovery in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. He could unilaterally order FEMA and other federal agencies to send more people or direct more resources to the island.

Trump could also publicly pressure the governor to be more forthcoming about the death count. The local government surely shares the blame for the slow response, but the president is ultimately responsible for the lives of the 3.4 million US citizens on the island.

His casual treatment of their struggle may come back to haunt Republicans. Puerto Ricans who live on the island may not have a voting member in Congress, but once they move to the United States, they do.

With hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans fleeing the island, they will likely voice their frustrations in the voting booth in the coming midterm elections.

-------------------

NEWSWEEK: PUERTO RICO IS 'BROKEN' 100 DAYS AFTER HURRICANE MARIA AND Trump IS NO HELP, LOCALS SAY

[_Kevin Graham]

Whether President cres about PR or not isn't debatable. That's settled.

The question is whether or not we're doing enough. We're throwing billions at a territory that is ineptly managed, and requires outside intervention because they're morons, incapable, and corrupt. Throwing money at thieves is insane. I say tie our assistance to statehood and strict oversight. Otherwise we should cut them loose.

- Doc

Puerto Rico is occupied by American Citizens who are the ones suffering here. It isn't about doing some "territory" a favor, it is about helping fellow citizens using the resources our government funding is obliged to provide. We're only doing it in a half-assed way that is making everything drag out longer than need be because Trump and people like you just don't see this as a big deal. It is just a territory that was mismanaged, right? They don't deserve crap. “F” the people. Sure, they're just "Americans" on Paper, but how many of them really speak English? They're really just brown thieves. Pfft!

If Trump had half a brain he'd realize the imminent political backfire. Nearly 300,000 Puerto Ricans have already migrated to the mainland. By the time the elections come around a half million more could be here. And guess what? With established residence in Florida they'll be able to vote. That's a fuqton of votes to dismiss in a swing state.

[_EAllusion]

Whether President cres about PR or not isn't debatable. That's settled.

The question is whether or not we're doing enough. We're throwing billions at a territory that is ineptly managed, and requires outside intervention because they're morons, incapable, and corrupt. Throwing money at thieves is insane. I say tie our assistance to statehood and strict oversight. Otherwise we should cut them loose.

- Doc

I think you are grossly simplifying to the point of being incorrect why Puerto Rico has been mismanaged. Federal law has a role here. I also don't think that mismanagement, however you attribute it, is a basis to ignore the millions of Americans suffering under it. Most of the American South is badly mismanaged, but I don't think it would be appropriate to let a similar scale disaster have a similar level of languishing response just because their governments suck.

But pushing that aside for a second, their island was wiped out by a vicious hurricane that was statistically more likely to happen because of the United States has been the preeminent force in ruining the globe's climate. At some point, those chickens have to come home to roost.

I think most people are blissfully unaware of how bad this can get for the US given its continued efforts to stall international climate change response once its military and economic power relative to the world declines. People are going to come looking for damages, and Puerto Rico is just a taste of what those damages can look like.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Hrm. If I have to choose between EA and KG or this:

Look, having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart—you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world—it’s true!—but when you're a conservative Republican they try—oh, do they do a number—that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune—you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged—but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me—it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have thought?), but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners—now it used to be three, now it’s four—but when it was three and even now, I would have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don't, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years—but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us.

I'm gonna have to go with the guy who is very, very smart.

- Doc

[_EAllusion]

The Executive: Like the Godfather, only everyone is Fredo.