HTCI

Last year in AP U.S. history, we learned about delayed relief for Hurricane Katrina. Twelve years later, parallels can be seen in the relief efforts for Puerto Rico. On Sept. 16, Puerto Rico was struck by two major hurricanes in a short succession. As of press deadline, most of the island is without electricity. Water, fuel, food and medicine are scarce across the U.S. territory, and officials there warn that people are dying from lack of resources. Puerto Rico is in dire need of the U.S. government’s help. But once again, the U.S. government is not as active as it should be.
It’s funny to hear the president of the United States tell Americans that everything is going well in Puerto Rico, when it obviously is not. When asked on Oct. 18 to rate the federal government’s recovery effort on a scale of one to 10, Trump said, “I give ourselves a 10.” With actions like these, Trump and other U.S. government officials give false information to Americans. In fact, according to Guardian News, five weeks after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, President Trump’s team has only managed to restore power for a mere 29 percent of the island’s 3.5 million U.S. citizens.
Furthermore, the Trump-linked energy contractor that won a $300 million no-bid contract to rebuild the grid, Whitefish Energy, is also under fire. Whitefish Energy’s contract, which was mysteriously awarded to the unproven Montana-based firm with two full-time employees, has been cancelled by Puerto Rico’s governor. Thus, even the small amount of aid the U.S. government is providing for Puerto Rico is failing greatly.
Ironically, a private company, Tesla, has done more to help out Puerto Rico than the U.S. government. Elon Musk has used Tesla’s solar panels and battery storage to turn the power back on San Juan’s Children’s Hospital — and he did it free of charge. However, even with Tesla’s help, life in Puerto Rico still needs to recover greatly. It’s time for the U.S. to step in.