Hurricane Maria Months After- Soleil Singh

Much of the island feels like it was hit by a storm yesterday

   After nearly a month, the island is still without drinking water, and most without power. The US government says it is committed to helping Puerto Rico but is faced with challenging circumstances, including some roads that are narrow, and impassable for large aid-delivery vehicles. There also are problems with power and water systems. Puerto Rico is "an island sitting in the middle of an ocean ... a very big ocean," as President Donald Trump said on September 26, making Hurricane Maria more distant than two other recent storms that hit the US mainland, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

  On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, said it had 1,700 personnel deployed in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which also were hit by Hurricane Maria. Yet nearly 2,600 FEMA staff, about 900 more, remain deployed to Hurricane Harvey, nearly two months after that storm hit the Gulf Coast of the mainland United States.Lines for water, are needed in many parts of the island. Rumors of contamination are spreading. Even as some taps turn back on, residents worry about drinking from faucets, which sputter and, in some locations, produce hazy liquid. This is causing an outbreak, which overall is not helping their situation.

   I find this absolutely saddening, and I believe although our government is "trying", they must try harder, as Puerto Rico IS apart of the US, and should be treated as such.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/us/hurricane-irma-puerto-rico-florida/index.html