FEMA Chief Blamed for Katrina Response Says the Same Problems Are Happening in Puerto Rico
Michael Brown, the former chief of FEMA, makes his comment on what has been happening in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Brown was widely blamed for the sluggish attitude during the time of Hurricane Katrina, which eventually caused him to resign during the crisis of Katrina. Today, however, he makes note that similar actions are being taken place with Maria.
Although Brown likes how Trump's administration is handling the situation in Puerto Rico following the hurricane, he says that there are still people in Puerto Rico "who haven't learned that". He comments that the unified command center in Puerto Rico were mismanaging resources and being unhelpful with coordination which made it even harder for officials to make it to Puerto Rico, as it was adding on to the other issue which was that there was destruction on the island as well. David Paulison, the chief of FEMA after Michael Brown, agrees with what his predecessor said. He adds on as well saying it's also due to issues with miscommunication between the federal, state, and local level, assessing that from both Katrina and Maria.
Besides Brown and Paulison's comments, Mike Byrne also comments on the situation but in a more positive sense. Byrne concurs that he is doing all he can at the moment, with his connections with the "highest levels", to get his job done. He also claims that the only reason help to Puerto Rico is so slow is because there has to be a cross from The States to Puerto Rico, rather than sending resources straight there which alone would take time. Even though there are resources there, it is still coming slowly, but Byrne suggests that it will speed up overtime. Despite issues in Puerto Rico, Brown and James Lee Witt, the FEMA director during the Clinton presidency, have heavily complimented Trump on his role with Puerto Rico. Although many are angry with Trump due to his threats about pulling out of Puerto Rico via Twitter, People in Trump's administration, such as Mick Mulvaeny says to focus on what they are doing for the island, not what Trump is stating on Twitter.
In conclusion, Puerto Rico is struggling to get assistance from the US, and judging by Trump's tweets on the internet and the comments made in this article, history might repeat itself.
Questions:
1. Why do you think there is such disorganization within Puerto Rico?
2. Do you agree with Brown, Paulison, or Byrne? If you do, what do you agree with specifically and why? If not, what don't you agree with?
3. Do you really believe that Trump is doing all that he can to help Puerto Rico after the Hurricane?
3) Donald trump has recently pushed through and made sure congress gave more relief money to the recent areas of natural damage in the USA. He also has sent a good amount of troops to help out the country but i think the issues are deeper than that. Its more than we should analyze how trump reacted tot he mayor of Puerto Rico that is what is truly un-nerving,
ReplyDelete3. Trump has a tremendous amount of power. The modern American President actually stretches the limits of its own office quite a bit, specifically the power of executive order. To his credit, Donald Trump has led emergency response, though it could have been better coordinated. Verily, miscommunication and poor allocation of resources might have been the fault of Puerto Rico, but ultimately, it's the feds that must take the blame. Trump needs to push for more relief legislation, and certainly embrace the power of executive order for good. (Perhaps, mobilize the military? They're doing such a "great job" so why not keep doing it?)
ReplyDelete3. Trump is the most powerful man as the president. In regards to the issue in Puerto Rico, Trump has pushed to make sure that the government has money for relief in times of natural crisis. It is important to understand that congress has to not only deal with financially aiding one disaster in Puerto Rico, but also the disasters that occurred in California, Texas and Florida. Even though Trumps administration and many experienced government officials are saying Trump "did the best he could in Puerto Rico", citizens suffering from the crisis feel otherwise. The miscommunication withing the federal, state and local government has made it difficult for the citizens on Puerto Rico to take advantage of a successful relief program.
ReplyDelete3. Do you really believe that Trump is doing all that he can to help Puerto Rico after the Hurricane?
ReplyDeleteTrump has taken some measures to help Puerto Rico. He was sent troops to aid survivors in Puerto Rico and has provided relief money. While this is true, I think that bigger measures should be taken. They're American citizens in Puerto Rico that have faced irreparable damage to their homes and livelihoods. As the most powerful man in America, Trump should be taking more extensive measures to help Puerto Rico.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMadeline Tragoutsis
ReplyDeleteI think Trump has done a lot to help the situation in Puerto Rico. Trump has made sure that a good amount of our money and troops have been sent to provide relief to the people who are struggling. We also have to take into consideration all of the disasters happening around the same time in our country, and that may have been the reason if we were a little late or short on aid for Puerto Rico, but we need to put our country and its citizens first.
1. While the tone taken with Puerto Rico by president Trump has been markedly different than similar situations in mainland America, the nature of Puerto Rico it self also makes response more difficult. The fact that the it is an island makes the recovery especially difficult, considering the lack of physically close resources. This made the reinstatement of electricity much more prolonged due to not being able to borrow electricity from nearby states such as Florida did. Additionally, the corruption of PREPA has led to the contract to help restore power to go to the grossly undermanned and overpriced Whitefish Energy.
ReplyDelete1. Although Puerto Rico is considered a part of the United States, it lacks representation and support and is often disregarded by our government. It is removed from the country geographically which makes it more difficult to send help quickly. The geographical isolation also makes it easier to tune out Puerto Rico's problems. Although Hawaii and Alaska are also physically separated from the US, because they are states, have the same language, and are more developmentally similar to the rest of the country, they are more cared for by the US government. Many do not even realize that Puerto Rico is a US territory. Puerto Rico's distance, cultural differences, and lack of awareness from the rest of the United States contributes to its disorganization and lack of help after the hurricane.
ReplyDeleteMany government officials are saying Trump did the best he could, and while some might agree, I believe he could have done more to ensure the relief efforts were properly managed. Miscommunication was mostly at fault, but I believe that could have been preventable if Trump had utilized his power more efficiently. Ultimately however, much of Trump’s criticisms come from his insensitive tweets criticizing the local leadership in Puerto Rico.
ReplyDelete3. Trump has not/did not do everything he could for Puerto Rico. Part of his job is to send help when citizens are in need. Sure, he has sent relief troops and money. But, did he do everything he could? NO. He responded far too slowly and far too weakly to the disaster in Puerto Rico. While it is true, their was disasters occurring within the US at the time, Puerto Ricans are US citizens too and they deserve just as much aid as anyone else. I am disappointed in President Trump's response to this traumatic event.
ReplyDelete3. Trump did not do everything he could do to help the people of Puerto Rico, and this is due to Trump being a racist and not considering Puerto Ricans actual Americans. He could have easily passed a bill providing more money to Puerto Rico during the crisis, but maintaining the wall budget was more important to him.
ReplyDelete3. I absolutely do not feel trump did everything he could. The response to the Puerto Rico crisis was so delayed that the crucial time to provide aid (right after it happens) was lost. There was a ton of disorganization and lots of the aid did not arrive in a timely manner costing the Puerto Rican people much more loss.
ReplyDelete