(WTNH)–What’s the situation on the ground in Puerto Rico more than 100 days after the monster hurricane came ashore?
Connecticut senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy just returned from the island, where they say it remains in deplorable shape, and the government needs the billions of dollars in relief it was promised now.
The lawmakers wanted to see for themselves how medical facilities and neighborhoods are fairing. They had meeting with federal emergency management officials too. What they saw was human suffering, and that the U.S. government is far from helping this crisis, that America is failing fellow Americans.
Related: Numbers of hurricane refugees entering Connecticut growing
“What we saw on the ground was an electricity system that is providing power for only about half the people in Puerto Rico, medical primary care is in shambles, a drink of water is widely unavailable and economically this island is going to be struggling for some time,” Murphy said.
“The White House is nickle and diming the Puerto Rican government, and making them go through all sorts of bureaucracy and red tape that is unnecessary, and the result is that the economy is still hemorrhaging,” said Blumenthal.
Tourism is suffering badly as only about half the hotels on the island are open.
The senators say the mass exodus of people off the island will soon cause an economic burden here to make sure all are helped.
