Puerto Rico disaster aid found sitting in a warehouse

[nolesincebirth]

Puerto Ricans struggling after a recent earthquake are outraged after a warehouse was discovered to be full of disaster relief supplies from 2017's Hurricane Maria, which were never distributed.

Desperate locals in the southern city of Ponce broke in to the warehouse after finding hoards of food, water, cots and other unused emergency supplies during checks for damage from the earthquake several days ago.

The governor of Puerto Rico fired the director of the US territory's emergency management agency after the warehouse was found filled with the likes of diapers and medicine, apparently unused since the island was hit by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.

The warehouse was discovered on Saturday, and police were called in to remove people taking supplies.

The shocking discovery comes after Democrats pushed for the release of Congress-approved emergency funds, following President Trump's statement that Puerto Rico was holding up its own disaster relief.

rest here...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...rnor-fires-emergency-management-director.html

 

[The Tradition]

Trump has always said his problem with Puerto Rico is the corruption.

Of course, the liberals insist it's about race, even though "Hispanic" isn't a race, it's an ethnicity.

 

[mnole03]

Trump has always said his problem with Puerto Rico is the corruption.

Agreed, it’s corrupt not to distribute congressionally provided aid.

 

[BubsFinn]

Trump has always said his problem with Puerto Rico is the corruption.

Of course, the liberals insist it's about race, even though "Hispanic" isn't a race, it's an ethnicity.

Next thing you're going to tell me is that Muslim isn't a race either.

 

[The Tradition]

Next thing you're going to tell me is that Muslim isn't a race either.

That's a religion.

 

[nolesincebirth]

Agreed, it’s corrupt not to distribute congressionally provided aid.

Someone should be held accountable. People were suffering and someone stored all this stuff away and locked the doors.

 

[Lone Clone]

Someone should be held accountable. People were suffering and someone stored all this stuff away and locked the doors.

Another reason to impeach Trump.

 

[nolesincebirth]

Another reason to impeach Trump.

Not sure if joking but, so far, it looks like Trump was right. The government sent aid and the local authorities didn’t distribute it. That’s what he always claimed. Now, whether or not the locals had or took on that responsibility, I don’t know. But SOMEONE stored all that stuff in the warehouse(s?) and people were screaming for aid and got nothing. So why? It clearly wasn’t a case of, “we have too much aid so we’ll just save it.” Someone locked it away and shut the doors.

 

[Rudolph]

What's the corruption scoreboard say now?

 

[hawk-i bob]

Another reason to impeach Trump.

what a worthless comment...but it gave you a reason to post another worthless post.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Next thing you're going to tell me is that Muslim isn't a race either.

There’s only one race, human.

 

[mnole03]

There’s only one race, human.

We’re all stardust, man.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Agreed, it’s corrupt not to distribute congressionally provided aid.

Probably too subtle for our cons.

 

[Lone Clone]

what a worthless comment...but it gave you a reason to post another worthless post.

You’re just upset because I posted it before you could.

 

[SalAunese]

I’ve “volunteered” my services to sba.gov as a disaster specialist over the past few years. It’s pretty well known the built in corruption in PR and the vast amount of land squatters were our greatest obstacles to achieving our goals.

 

[sober_teacher]

Not sure if joking but, so far, it looks like Trump was right. The government sent aid and the local authorities didn’t distribute it. That’s what he always claimed. Now, whether or not the locals had or took on that responsibility, I don’t know. But SOMEONE stored all that stuff in the warehouse(s?) and people were screaming for aid and got nothing. So why? It clearly wasn’t a case of, “we have too much aid so we’ll just save it.” Someone locked it away and shut the doors.

Question, do you think Trump knew all this for a fact or was he just regurgitating standard taking points and happened to be proven right in this instance?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Question, do you think Trump knew all this for a fact or was he just regurgitating standard taking points and happened to be proven right in this instance?

I wouldn't say he was proven right.

One (or several) incompetents or even assholes in PR in no way lessens how awful Trump is.

Notice that no one is defending this, but people reliably defend Trump for even worse behavior.

It will be interesting to learn how this happened. Was it for personal gain? Because you know that if Trump did something like this it would absolutely be for personal gain.

 

[nolesincebirth]

Question, do you think Trump knew all this for a fact or was he just regurgitating standard taking points and happened to be proven right in this instance?

No idea. I’m not a Trump hater or supporter. He does some things I like and lots that I hate. But, he took a lot of heat for not providing aid to PR and, so far, it looks like it may not have been warranted. Now, there are a lot of unknowns about how this happened but it looks like aid was given and not disbursed. That’s horrible. The people of PR deserve better and they really suffered. If this was for any political purposes, that’s even worse. These political tit-for-tat moves are outrageous; on both sides.

Someone (FEMA, local PR governments, contractors) needs to give some answers on how this happened.

 

[JWolf74]

This needs thoroughly investigated and the appropriate heads need to roll. Was it just sitting there or was someone selling the supplies slowly?

This isn't right/left. And even if the Trump administration was correct in their actions, this doesn't excuse the rest of their misdeeds.

 

[hawk-i bob]

You’re just upset because I posted it before you could.

nothing you post to defend your boy upsets me...it should you because but this what happens when you sell your conservative soul to a ConMan.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Wouldn’t put it past some to hold aid to further a cause

 

[SalAunese]

Amazing at how little people understand what happened in PR. The people that politicized this disaster are absolute scum

 

[BGHAWK]

Probably too subtle for our cons.

Flew right over their heads. Shocking.

 

[Lone Clone]

nothing you post to defend your boy upsets me...it should you because but this what happens when you sell your conservative soul to a ConMan.

God help you, I think you believe what you wrote.

 

[The Tradition]

Flew right over their heads. Shocking.

No, I got it, but it was stupid and not worthy of a response.

 

[hawk-i bob]

God help you, I think you believe what you wrote.

nothing like a conservative being hooked by a con-man.
congrats...U did it yourself.

 

[Gonolz]

Trump has always said his problem with Puerto Rico is the corruption.

I have always said that my problem with the U.S. is the corruption.

 

[hexumhawk]

So Trump was right again. Will the news media even cover this short of quick 45 second blurb?

 

[OrlandNole]

Can someone explain why the aid has been sitting in a warehouse? Who could gain from that?

 

[cidhawkeye]

Can someone explain why the aid has been sitting in a warehouse? Who could gain from that?

The people trying to make Trump look bad?

 

[rocketclone]

what a worthless comment...but it gave you a reason to post another worthless post.

Actually it was pretty funny...…...

 

[Lone Clone]

Can someone explain why the aid has been sitting in a warehouse? Who could gain from that?

It could be just gross incompetence. There is a proverb that says you should never attribute to conspiracy anything that can be explained by stupidity.

It could also be somebody planning to sell the material on the black market.

 

[rocketclone]

I spent 2 and a 1/2 months in Miami working claims for Hurricane Andrew and something like this is understandable. If you have never been in a situation like that it is PURE chaos. You want to get people taken care of but there is no electricity, infrastructure a mess etc.

 

[Lone Clone]

I spent 2 and a 1/2 months in Miami working claims for Hurricane Andrew and something like this is understandable. If you have never been in a situation like that it is PURE chaos. You want to get people taken care of but there is no electricity, infrastructure a mess etc.

That's a good point. On the one hand, there is a very high priority on getting the aid to the site as soon as possible, cutting through any red tape that might slow things. On the other hand, speed is the enemy of organization.

 

[seminole97]

Probably too subtle for our cons.

Since the aid in question was Javelin missiles we’ve told Ukraine they can’t use in their current war with Russia and they instead have to put them in warehouses in the Western part of the country, it’s horribly similar.
The most important thing about government ‘aid’ is that the check clears.
Of course anyone decrying Trump holding up a useless delivery that Obama wouldn't even allow is just a useful idiot for the MIC, but who cares as long as you can get in a partisan jab.

 

[Titanhawk2]

It's naive to believe that "Federal aid" means the government and federal workers manufactures, ships and delivers directly to those needing hundreds of different products and services. The fact the stuff is there means the federal part was accomplished, what the people there did with it is not on the feds shoulders.

 

[Run&Blade]

Can someone explain why the aid has been sitting in a warehouse? Who could gain from that?

Maybe somebody was holding it as a power play.

maybe it’s as simple as somebody was told to put it there and it was forgotten.

just handing it all out instantly upon arrival would seem to be an option but it likely wouldn’t get in everybody’s hands that needs it.

 

[hexumhawk]

Maybe somebody was holding it as a power play.

maybe it’s as simple as somebody was told to put it there and it was forgotten.

just handing it all out instantly upon arrival would seem to be an option but it likely wouldn’t get in everybody’s hands that needs it.

My guess it was a power play, a way to make Trump look bad, a black market special, or all three. Too much stuff in there for people to have just forgotten about it.

 

[herkyhawk00]

It could be just gross incompetence. There is a proverb that says you should never attribute to conspiracy anything that can be explained by stupidity.

It could also be somebody planning to sell the material on the black market.

Like the other poster and you said, it could be complete incompetence and stupidity. In our highly toxic political battles, I don’t think it is unreasonable to suggest that the aide was withheld intentionally so they could continue to complain That they need more supplies and such. I have a difficult time believing there would be that much incompetence by much more than one person who knew the supplies were there.

 

[jasonrann]

Can't be giving aid to a bunch of rapists, amirite?