On Friday, President Donald Trump promised that the U.S. government would continue providing assistance to the victims of the hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, CNN reported. He said, "We will not rest, however, until the people of Puerto Rico are safe," speaking in Washington. The hurricanes have devastated the U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.

Trump explained the conditions in the territory

Trump acknowledged that a lot of work needs to be done in the territory. He added that the authorities of Puerto Rico together with the U.S. government should decide how these massive restoration efforts would be financed and implemented.

The president recalled that the U.S. federal authorities sent 10,000 federal employees to Puerto Rico, including 7,000 military personnel. He also noted that local police officers were largely unable to fulfill their duties, as they were forced to take care of their families. Trump also drew attention to the fact that the energy supply system on the island was shut down after the disaster, roads were washed away, and the sewage system was totally wiped out.

Trump praised the work of federal authorities in Puerto Rico, including the administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

San Juan's Mayor lashed out at Trump's administration

On Friday, the mayor of the Puerto Rican capital, Carmen Yulín Cruz, urged Trump to get the situation under control.

"We are dying here," she said a press conference with tears in her eyes, the Guardian reported. She said that the greatest country (the USA) in the world cannot solve the logistics issues for the small island.

She also criticized the acting secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Elaine Duke, for her words that the situation in Purto Rico is "a good news story." She told CNN on Friday that "When you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good-news story."

On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter that Democrats influenced the mayor of San Juan, and they forced her to say nasty things about him.

The president also accused her of bad leadership and inaction. The president will visit Puerto Rico with his wife Melania Trump on October 3.

According to officials, there were 16 victims of Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico last week. The island state has been staying on the economic decline for several years now. Puerto Rico is under the debt of $72 billion because of a decade-long economic recession. Now, the island government does not have enough cash to pay for core services of the public.
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