Florida nursing
home death toll
reaches 12
home death toll
reaches 12
I was reading about a university researcher who has studied the demographics of Hurricane Katrina and he said that likely "Hundreds of people are dead" across Puerto Rico already or will be before this is over. This is the likelihood the professor in Louisiana said at this point. I think he is right given everything that I have seen and heard to far.
What concerned me the most is that police and truck drivers are not showing up because they have to protect their families. This is why the Department of Defense is getting involved because people are starting to go "off the reservation" without water or food or air conditioning now.
People who likely were borderline or alcoholics or had various emotional problems might have become dangerous after a few days without water or food.
There is a saying from the French revolution which was: "Any group of people will tend to riot without water or food for 3 or 4 days!" People often revert to more their animal natures after 3 or 4 days of a stiff upper lip for the benefit of all. But, often at some point it becomes like people behaved on the Titanic that you see in movies sometimes or on a lifeboat without enough water or food to keep everyone alive. For example, how would you be in 100 degree temperatures with no cell phone, no water and no food for a week now with close to 100 percent humidity? To say people are dying is an understatement at this point.
CNN.com · 27 mins ago
San Juan mayor:
'Dammit, this is not
a good news story'
'Dammit, this is not
a good news story'
CNN.com · 3 hours ago
San Juan mayor: 'Dammit, this is not a good news story'
Story highlights
- Yulín Cruz said the acting homeland security's director's comments were frustrating
- Trump is expected to visit the island next week
Washington (CNN)San
Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz reacted with shock and anger to acting
Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke on Friday, saying Puerto Rico's
recovery is "not a good news story."
"This is a 'people are dying' story," she said in disbelief.
Cruz
was referencing Duke's comments from Thursday, when the Trump
administration official said she was satisfied with the government's
response to help Puerto Rico's recover from Hurricane Maria.
"I
know it is really a good news story in terms of our ability to reach
people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a
devastating hurricane," Duke said.
"Well
maybe from where she's standing it's a good news story," Yulín Cruz
told CNN's Alisyn Camerota after she was played the clip on "New Day."
"When you're drinking from a creek, it's not a good news story. When you
don't have food for a baby, it's not a good news story. When you have
to pull people down from buildings -- I'm sorry, that really upsets me
and frustrates me."
She
continued: "I would ask you (Duke) to come down here and visit the
towns and then make a statement like that, because frankly, it is an
irresponsible statement in contrast with the statements of support that I
have been getting yesterday when I got that call from the White House.
Dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a 'people are dying'
story. It's a life-or-death story."
On
Thursday, Duke expressed nothing short of full confidence when she
talked to reporters about Puerto Rico outside the White House.
"I
am very satisfied," Duke said. "I know it's a hard storm to recover
from but the amount of progress that's been made, and I really would
appreciate any support that we get. I know it is really a good news
story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of
deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane."
She
clarified later, "It's good news that we have a unification of command
where the governor, the federal response, and the people are all united
toward saving lives and giving things to the people they need."
President
Donald Trump also defended his administration's response to the
humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico on Friday, tweeting a quote from
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló he said on CNN.
Trump
tweeted, "Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello just stated: "The
Administration and the President, every time we've spoken, they've
delivered......"
He continued:" ...The fact
is that Puerto Rico has been destroyed by two hurricanes. Big decisions
will have to be made as to the cost of its rebuilding!"
Trump is expected to visit
the island on Tuesday but the White House confirmed this morning that
his wife Melania will not make the trip as she did after previous
disasters.
'We have to figure out how to handle' Puerto Rico
Tom
Bossert, the administration's homeland security adviser, was on CNN
Friday morning suggesting Puerto Rico's debt could influence how the
federal government responds to the crisis.
"First,
we always have big discussions after disasters pertaining to cost but
what you need to know is Puerto Rico started this one $72 billion in
debt," he told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day" Friday. "So the President
is 1,000% right. We're going to have to figure out how to handle this
when we move forward."
Cuomo asked Bossert to elaborate on what the connection is between Puerto Rico's debt and rebuilding.
"The
idea here, Chris, with them being in debt, they don't have enough ready
liquid cash to pay their normal share like Florida and Texas had ready,
money to pay, so what we're going to do -- and the President has
already done it -- is give a 180-day cost share adjustment," Bossert
said. "The federal government is paying 100% of the tab here to make
sure lives are saved. We'll worry about the big decisions later. That's
the President's point."
But Bossert defended the administration, saying they're doing everything they can to help people in Puerto Rico.
"I
don't accept that we're doing anything short of everything we can do.
Yes, I accept that the people are going to see, at the very end, the
last person in the most hardest to reach areas, will receive assistance
in a way that is less acceptable than we would like to. We would like to
give them a bottle of water and food immediately," he said. "I do
accept there's going to be a difference between a full-throated,
adequate response, and the complete satisfaction of bringing that entire
territory back to its full functional state."
Lt.
Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, who is the Commander of US Army North (5th
Army), was appointed Thursday by the Pentagon to lead the military's
hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico -- and told CNN in an interview
after Bossert that the military has 10,000 people helping with the
response -- but they need more.
"Well,
we're certainly bringing in more," he told Camerota on "New Day." "For
example, on the military side, we're bringing in both air force, navy,
and army medical capabilities in addition to aircraft, more helicopters
.., (but) it's not enough, and we're bringing more in."
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