Trump Administration Too 'Afraid' To Meet With San Juan Mayor On Puerto Rico Response

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek Magazine




BY MARIA PEREZ ON 10/31/17 AT 10:55 AM

The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, says the Trump administration is so “afraid” to discuss its “deplorable” response to Hurricane Maria that it hastily canceled a meeting between her and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after she had flown all the way to Washington on Tuesday.

Carmen Yulín Cruz said she was supposed to meet with FEMA Administrator Brock Long to discuss the agency response to the September 20 hurricane, which to this day has left 75 percent of the island without power—only to discover the meeting had been scrubbed and not even been rescheduled after she landed in the U.S. capital.

“It was deplorable how FEMA acted against the Puerto Rican people,” said Cruz. “What are they afraid of? The truth has to be told, and people all over the world have seen how the Trump administration has treated Puerto Rico.”

Link to tweet

It is unclear why FEMA canceled the meeting. Earlier this month, Long said Cruz’s complaints about the agency’s recovery effort amount to just “political noise.” But other groups are listening to Cruz. The United Nation’s top human rights panel http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22326&LangID=E on Monday that the U.S territory’s 3.4 million residents are being treated unfairly by their own American government.

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/san-juan-mayor-suggests-trump-administration-too-afraid-attend-fema-hearing-697187

---

From the U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner:


Puerto Rico: Human rights concerns mount in absence of adequate emergency response

GENEVA (30 October 2017) - Puerto Rico remains without an effective emergency response more than a month after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, a group of UN human rights experts* has warned.

“The hurricane has aggravated the island’s existing dire situation caused by debt and austerity measures,” the experts noted, saying the situation remained “alarming” for the island’s 3.5 million residents in US territory.

“Thousands of people are displaced, with homes destroyed, and without any relief in sight. More than 80 per cent of the population, or close to 2.8 million people, continue to live without electricity. Few hospitals are functioning. There are allegations that the water available - for those who have access to it - may be contaminated.”

“With winter approaching, we call for a speedy and well-resourced emergency response that prioritizes the most vulnerable and at risk - children, older people, people with disabilities, women and homeless people.”

The UN’s Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, added: “Even before Hurricane Maria struck, Puerto Rico’s human rights were already being massively undermined by the economic and financial crisis and austerity policies, affecting the rights to health, food, education, housing, water and social security.”

The experts pointed out that nearly half the population of Puerto Rico were already living below the poverty line before Hurricane Maria struck.

The Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha, added: “We can’t fail to note the dissimilar urgency and priority given to the emergency response in Puerto Rico, compared to the US states affected by hurricanes in recent months.”

“After a natural disaster, with around 90 thousand homes totally destroyed, people are at their most vulnerable. It’s the obligation of all levels of government to act to protect them, and to ensure that lives can return to some normality quickly. People need safe and adequate homes – temporary and long-term – with electricity, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities” she stressed.

The Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, added: “Hurricane Maria wiped out most of the island’s crops. Banana and coffee - the Island’s most valuable exports - were the hardest hit. The population is facing immediate food shortages but also long-term consequences from the destruction of the entire agricultural infrastructure.”

The experts said rebuilding should be of a high enough standard to withstand future disasters.

“We call on the United States and Puerto Rican authorities to remove regulatory and financial barriers to reconstruction and recovery,” they said. “All reconstruction efforts should be guided by international human rights standards, ensuring that people can rebuild where they have lived and close to their communities. Reconstruction should aim to increase the resilience of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, housing and hospitals against future natural disasters.”

They also stressed the need for debt relief for the island, which filed for bankruptcy in May 2017 under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). A federal court in San Juan has begun hearings over the biggest public debt restructuring in US history.

Several UN experts had expressed concern in September 2016 at the crippling public debt level and its impact on economic and social rights, but have not received any substantial response from Washington, San Juan or the Financial Oversight and Management Board to their questions and concerns.

ENDS

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22326&LangID=E

[Laffy Kat]

1. She has been treated horribly. nt

It boggles the mind. And why?

[onetexan]

3. It's New Orleans all over again, only this time even worse

[caballojm]

9. Hmm ... let's see:

1. She's female
2. She's a female with opinions
3. She's not part of the master race
4. She's not really a "murican" in the eyes of the Dotard and his mouth-breathing base of barking seals
5. She refuses to kiss the Dotard's ring
6. She's from a place surrounded by water ... big water ... ocean water
7. She'd probably castrate the Dotard if he tried to grab her by the p

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. LOL@ mouth- breathing base of barking seals.

[onetexan]

15. sounds like my kinda gal pal, a strong woman

[JohnnyRingo]

2. I know what the White House is afraid of

The media would be in attendance and it wouldn't reflect well on the administration. Eventually, pulling out the "fake news" card is going to get old, if it isn't already.

Whoever scheduled the meeting should probably be updating their resume.

[riversedge]

7. A poll out a few days ago already says his approval rating is down more--and PR was

mentioned as the reason.

[ffr]

4. How many Americans have died from the lack of help and cooperation from Dotard's administration?

A thousand more or less.

Sick!

tRump's Katrina.

[riversedge]

5. I was just about to post this story. but here are a few tweets about it............

David Begnaud‏Verified account @DavidBegnaud 14h14 hours ago

“What are they afraid of?”
Mayor @CarmenYulinCruz reacts after @FEMA hearing, she was invited to speak at in D.C., is abruptly canceled

Link to tweet

David Begnaud‏Verified account @DavidBegnaud 14h14 hours ago

.@CarmenYulinCruz arrrived in DC tonight to speak at a hearing about “assessing FEMAs preparedness & response capabilities”
It was canceled

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

David Begnaud‏Verified account @DavidBegnaud 14h14 hours ago
Replying to @DavidBegnaud @CarmenYulinCruz

Ranking member @BennieGThompson says cancellation is “inexcusable” attempt to “silence the mayor” & shield @POTUS” form a “bad news story”

[NewJeffCT]

6. I thought Herr Trump

was the epitome of the Alpha Male? Shouldn't he just be able to come in, swing his dick around, and everybody will fall in line behind him? Cowering and avoiding a woman seems like the opposite of the Alpha Male persona. If Alpha is the first letter of the alphabet, does that mean Trump is really an Omega Male?

[Ukapau]

18. Absolutely correct! Great posting!

[niyad]

8. Cruz 2020

[C Moon]

10. The United States misses Obama.

[Achilleaze]

11. Shame on the republicans for the way they treat Americans

Disgraceful. Cowardly. Shameful.

[NBachers]

13. So, Democrats, please scramble to arrange hearings and a publicized press conference.

[SeattlePop]

14. Run Away, Run Away

Run!

[Sunlei]

16. Is Fema so disorganized they 'forget' scheduled meetings? There are 76? "Mayors" in PR

I assume local Mayors would report directly to the PR Governors disaster plan AND FEMA to take care of complaints & other issues.

Don't understand why any Mayor needs to be flown to washingtondc at this time of the PR recovery.

[usaf-vet]

17. What are they afraid of....

1. That someday you will all get to vote in a presidential election.
2. That they won't get to bleed all the wealth from your island before you figure it out.
3. Look at how Katrina hurricane changed New Orleans and displaced or ignored old neighborhoods.

They want people to lose hope and sellout property .... to of course developers.

4. But they don't want you as US citizens to move to Florida and vote in presidential elections. Your vote could change national elections. Move Florida to a blue state.

Read Naomi Klein's book for details.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/412RLzPJ8lL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0312427999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509475487&sr=8-1&keywords=the+shock+doctrine%2C+the+rise+of+disaster+capitalism%2C+naomi+klein&dpID=412RLzPJ8lL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

[gademocrat7]

19. Inexcusable.

Unacceptable behavior.