How Puerto Rico Is Becoming Trump's Katrina

Under President Trump, Puerto Rico is suffering federal neglect that recalls the worst of George W. Bush's management after Hurricane Katrina inundated New Orleans more than a decade ago.

As the territory – home to 3.4 million U.S. citizens, roughly the same population as Iowa – has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the president of the United States has been tweeting about NFL protests, "Little Rocket Man" and his beef with John McCain. When it finally occurred to Trump to tweet about Puerto Rico Monday night, the president's thoughts were with the Wall Street banks who are still owed money from the territory, which declared a form of bankruptcy in May.

Amid outcry about the botched federal relief response on Tuesday, Trump blamed the Caribbean island being too far away: "This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. It's a big ocean," Trump said. "It's a very big ocean." Unaccountably, the Navy hospital and disaster-relief ship Comfort remains docked in Virginia. Nonetheless Trump insisted, "We're doing a really good job!"

The crisis in Puerto Rico is grave: The island is without grid power, a major dam is in danger of bursting, 80 percent of the nation's crops have been destroyed, more than half of Puerto Ricans lack clean drinking water and thousands have been camped out waiting for flights from San Juan's sweltering airport, hobbled by a broken radar system. Medicine, food, cash, cell phone signal, gasoline and diesel are in short supply. Diabetes patients can't refrigerate their insulin; kidney dialysis patients are foregoing treatment. Hospitals running on backup generators are rationing fuel and suffering intermittent blackouts. The Category 4 hurricane inflicted a minimum of $30 billion in insured damage on an island with an annual GDP of just $100 billion. Puerto Rico's governor has declared a "critical disaster," and San Juan's mayor insists "there is horror in the streets" – many still flooded with toxic water.

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