Devastated by Hurricane Maria, the rural areas beyond the capital of Puerto Rico have been seemingly neglected by the US Coast Guard. Following the Hurricane, a senior home was left without food, water, or electricity for nine days following the hurricane. One woman with a prosthetic leg was forced to walk up and down 7 stories to reach her room. A former New Jersey resident says, "In Jersey, [Hurricane efforts] were very up to date. Here, it was too slow... By the grace of god, we lost no life in this building in those 9 days." No lives were lost at the senior home, but the possibility of a death was great considering the absence of any food or water and lack of assistance from the US military.
The United States has responsibility to the citizens of Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is nit considered a state and the citizens can not vote, the US governs the territory and has been since 1950. When in need, the citizens of Puerto Rico need just as much help as citizens of mainland America. I believe it disgusting to think that the US military believes the lives of citizens in the 50 states to be more important than those lives in Puerto Rico.
Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-41474022/puerto-rico-why-did-help-take-nine-days-to-arrive
I didn't know that we governed them without their representation. Isn't that exactly why we fought for freedom in the first place? First of all, the should be treated just like every other mainland American citizen affected by the hurricane. Second of all, how is it fair that we govern and own their land without their representation in the government.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if the United States is going to have power over territories they should be equally treated than mainland territories.
ReplyDelete^maria gonzalez
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