What's REALLY Happening -- or Not Happening -- in Puerto Rico??? (Hint: We don't know...)

Pretty much the entire civilized world has heard the claims of the mayor of San Juan that Trump isn't helping enough --

"We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said Friday at a news conference.

As well as Trump's less-than-helpful response --

However, Trump hit back early Saturday, accusing Cruz of "poor leadership ability" and criticizing Puerto Rican officials. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort," he tweeted.

"10,000 federal workers now on island doing a good job."

Source: Puerto Rico Crisis: San Juan Mayor Pleads for Federal Aid, Trump Hits Back

Not everyone agrees with the mayor's assessment though:

Speaking today exclusively and live from Puerto Rico, is Puerto Rican born and raised, Colonel Michael A. Valle (”Torch”), Commander, 101st Air and Space Operations Group, and Director of the Joint Air Component Coordination Element, 1st Air Force, responsible for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the U.S. commonwealth with a population of more than 3 million. Since the ‘apocalyptic’ Cat 4 storm tore into the spine of Puerto Rico on September 20, Col. Valle has been both duty and blood bound to help.

Col. Valle is a firsthand witness of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) response supporting FEMA in Puerto Rico, and as a Puerto Rican himself with family members living in the devastation, his passion for the people is second to none. “It’s just not true,” Col. Valle says of the major disconnect today between the perception of a lack of response from Washington verses what is really going on on the ground. “I have family here. My parents’ home is here. My uncles, aunts, cousins, are all here. As a Puerto Rican, I can tell you that the problem has nothing to do with the U.S. military, FEMA, or the DoD.”

“It’s a lack of drivers for the transport trucks, the 18 wheelers. Supplies we have. Trucks we have. There are ships full of supplies, backed up in the ports, waiting to have a vehicle to unload into. However, only 20% of the truck drivers show up to work. These are private citizens in Puerto Rico, paid by companies that are contracted by the government,” says Col. Valle.

U.S. Military on Puerto Rico: "The Problem is Distribution" and Here's Why

But others claim there is much more to it. Such as this report which claims that the truck drivers union is refusing to distribute the relief aid:

The toothless guy is complaining about a law that the governor passed three weeks ago.

The reporter CONFIRMS that the truck drivers are refusing to work in order to get revenge on the governor.

The toothless guy says that the governor’s policies have impacted truckers, so now truckers will show the country THEIR OWN suffering.

UNION truckers striking and refusing to deliver supplies over contract dispute with Puerto Rico local government and using Hurricane Maria as leverage. (Video at link)

And this call from a policewoman in San Juan who claims the mayor of San Juan and the Governor of Puerto Rico are refusing to distribute the supplies to the people:

The Mayor, Carmen Yulin, is not allowing anyone to distribute…There are dozens and thousands and thousands of food and when people ask we cannot give anything away because [Mayor] Carmen Yulin says that we cannot take anything out... A lot of people have been posting videos (sobbing – inaudible) …and no-one is paying attention.

The video/audio is from a Spanish language radio station, with English captioning.

As the policewoman notes, communication on the island is difficult... outside of the island is almost impossible. Even one of our own posted about not being able to contact his father... not knowing if he was dead or alive... and it took more than a week to hear the good news that yes, indeed, his father is alive and well. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief at the news!

Since I'm not there, and none of the principals have confided in me, I really don't know what the truth is. But I'm pretty damn sure that the people of Puerto Rico are hungry, hurting and suffering and this is no time for playing partisan politics for cheap points. But that's exactly what is happening -- here on ATS, and pretty much everywhere.

We can do better. We must do better. Let's show the whole world how it's done! Let's live up to our ATS standard of denying ignorance anywhere and everywhere we find it, and especially in this very grave situation.

ETA: Another Puerto Rico source speaking up: Neighbori ng mayor praises Trump, says San Juan mayor playing 'politics,' AWOL at meetings

The mayor of a Puerto Rican city that sits next to San Juan praised the administration's help Saturday night, and chided the "politics" of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has been criticizing President Trump. In an interview with Secrets, Guaynabo Mayor Angel Perez Otero said that in several meetings with FEMA and U.S. military officials about the recovery effort, Yulin Cruz has been absent. "I've seen other mayors participating. She's not," said Perez Otero.

This would be the city of the policewoman in the video above.

a reply to: Boadicea

So what I am getting out of all of that is the Politicians in PR are looking for fame while we try to help. The aid is there, but it is not aloud to be given out? She won't move without a camera behind her. The people on the ground like the police would know it seems. We are getting information from politicians mainstream when we should be listening to the people on the ground.

a reply to: Boadicea


Relief efforts are happening in Texas and Florida too so maybe resources are spread a little thin.

I did find it funny that she filmed her complaint with pallets of aid directly behind her.
And where did her newly printed tshirt come from?

Foregoing Trump's extremely poor showing of leadership regarding Puerto Rico (and the San Juan mayor's desperate desire to cover her own ass), it does appear that relief efforts are well under way. My guess is that its very difficult to contact these truck drivers or for them to get where they need to be, and this actually makes a lot of sense considering how smashed up Puerto Rico is. Under much pressure, everyone is pointing fingers at the other guys / gals.

I recently saw some video footage from Puerto Rico that a friend of mine posted who has family there. So many of the roads are just still unpassable. There is little communication.

a reply to: Crumbles

Yes, that would seem to be the case.... but, again, we don't know. There may be even more to it.

For example, the whole thing with the truckers union would seem to be a huge problem for the governor/mayor... who may want to blame Trump more to divert attention from their local issues than for partisan purposes... or it could be both... and something else besides.

But I do think it's absolutely vital that we listen to ALL sides -- especially the locals who are living this hell!!! -- in order to get a better grasp on the big picture. Those whose only agenda is to survive.

Didn't Trump state that we needed to bring everything in since even the cops are not working? He even said that there are no truck drivers and we need to bring them in too so that the supplies get moved.

a reply to: Boadicea

9,500 containers full of supplies at San Juan. Distribution issues, complicated by Union jackasses.

The reason for truck drivers not showing up? The Puerto Rican Teamsters Union, Frente Amplio, is refusing to move the product.

Translation?

Got this synopsis of the video in English from Twitter

(2) The toothless guy is complaining about a law that the governor passed three weeks ago.
(3) The reporter CONFIRMS that the truck drivers are refusing to work in order to get revenge
(4) The toothless guy says that the governor's policies have impacted truckers, so now
(5) The reporters says, "But all this stuff is in the past. In the present, it's an emergency."
(6) The toothless guy says that the country can now experience what the truckers experienced due to the governor's policies.
(7) The toothless guy says the truckers are not responsible for helping the country. That's the governor's job.
(8) Three weeks earlier, nobody cared about the plight of the truckers, so now the truckers don't care about the country.
(9) This is all the governor's fault, the toothless guy says. He passed a law, and now he has to live with it.
(10) The governor didn't understand the suffering of the working man, so now the truckers will show the country what suffering is.
(11) Since the country doesn't care about truckers, the truckers won't help.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Boadicea


Relief efforts are happening in Texas and Florida too so maybe resources are spread a little thin.

That, too, is an excellent point. Providing relief for one devastated area is a challenge... but three? A logistical nightmare! Especially because those states which are closest to Puerto Rico are the same ones likewise devastated by hurricanes themselves.

I did find it funny that she filmed her complaint with pallets of aid directly behind her.
And where did her newly printed tshirt come from?

Right??? That sure showed a lot of chutzpah... or sumpin!

Part if not most of the "problem" is possibly due to the major bureaucracy at all levels in PR.

And why didn't PR have a major disaster plan for all these years ?

Maybe take a long hard look at the major political parties in PR and who's in charge of the debt and corruption.

This is one of the worst contained disasters in American history (money and most importantly, PEOPLE).

Every Citizen (3.5 million) there is affected.

I predict Federal Martial Law very soon.

originally posted by: Bluntone22

And where did her newly printed tshirt come from?

Courtesy of CNN.

Bet on it.

originally posted by: pirhanna
Foregoing Trump's extremely poor showing of leadership regarding Puerto Rico (and the San Juan mayor's desperate desire to cover her own ass), it does appear that relief efforts are well under way. My guess is that its very difficult to contact these truck drivers or for them to get where they need to be, and this actually makes a lot of sense considering how smashed up Puerto Rico is.

Yes, definitely. That would have to be expected. I would assume that a good portion of truck drivers would live in/near the city, but doesn't matter how many drivers there are if the roads are not passable.

Under much pressure, everyone is pointing fingers at the other guys / gals.

Yup. No one wants to take responsibility for just getting the job done NOW... there's plenty of time to point fingers later. And I have to note that I don't care how many complaints anyone has if they aren't also suggesting and providing solutions. Pointing fingers doesn't get the job done.

originally posted by: Xtrozero
Didn't Trump state that we needed to bring everything in since even the cops are not working? He even said that there are no truck drivers and we need to bring them in too so that the supplies get moved.

That could be though I haven't heard that. I do know that the mainland Teamsters have been organizing drivers to go to Puerto Rico and help out.

a reply to: infolurker

Thank you for posting the video and translation.

I want to believe that it's just a few drivers -- at most -- with this attitude, and that for the most part drivers just can't get to where they need to be due to the damaged roads, etc., or their families need them at home, or something less selfish (and cruel!) than revenge. These are their countrymen suffering! It's hard to understand such a mindset.

Rebuilding Puerto Rico infrastructure costs money. Their debt is already 12 billions. How are they gong to get more loans for reconstruction? Who will pay for it?

What we are watching in Microcosm is what will eventually happen in all uS 'Territory'.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Part if not most of the "problem" is possibly due to the major bureaucracy at all levels in PR.

And why didn't PR have a major disaster plan for all these years ?

That is a damn good question! It's not like they didn't know it could happen... It seems like that would be a given. And maybe it was/is. Maybe there is a plan. But following it and actually dealing with the crisis may not be on the agenda. Perhaps Trump should be asking that instead. "Where is your plan and what are you doing to fulfill that plan???"

I predict Federal Martial Law very soon.

I'm frankly surprised it hasn't been implemented already.

a reply to: Boadicea

The trucker union excuse could just as easily be a lie for them not delivering the goods. It says 20% are coming. Are the other 80% actually speaking out?

a reply to: xuenchen

Courtesy of CNN.

Bet on it.

That was my first thought too... If I were on Twitter, I'd be calling on the printer to step forward to tell us who commissioned that T-shirt.

Then again, from what I saw, they may just be iron-on-letters -- so no printer.

But I would like to know where that T-shirt came from.

originally posted by: Crumbles
a reply to: Boadicea

The trucker union excuse could just as easily be a lie for them not delivering the goods. It says 20% are coming. Are the other 80% actually speaking out?

That could be as well. Big sigh...

Oh what tangled webs we weave!

a reply to: Konduit

I can't imagine how the people of Puerto Rico feel, seeing those shipping containers, knowing they're filled with the life-saving supplies they need, the medical supplies to nurse themselves, and the food to nurture themselves... and no freaking access.

Whoever it is standing in the way -- anyone and everyone -- there's gotta be a special place in hell waiting for them.