Puerto Rico Left Behind

A category four hurricane hit Puerto Rico in early September of 2017, followed by an equally powerful storm two weeks later that nearly wiped the island off the face of the Earth.

It still suffers from massive infrastructure damage,  including widespread loss of power and clean drinking water, despite being a U. S. territory.

The Trump Administration,  like the Bush White House during Katrina, has dropped the ball in helping Puerto Rico rebuild. The administration points to logistics as the main reason for not responding with full force to the crisis there, which breaks the hearts of many.

The fact that Puerto Rico is located hundreds of miles off the coast of Florida and is surrounded by water on all sides shouldn't diminish its importance or the role we should play in rescuing it from the depths of despair. The U.S. helped rebuild Europe after World War II. Why not extend the same favor to American citizens? But Trump thinks that the only people worth his time are those of his base and that everyone else can fend for themselves.

Due to the dire situation on the island,  thousands have been in search of a safe haven in the continental U.S.  They seek medical care,  education for their children, and a decent place to live,  which seems out of reach today following one of the most devastating acts of nature in American History.  And due to a domestic policy geared toward exclusion by the current administration or a lack of concern for those perceived as "outsiders,"  their transition or efforts to overcome hardship will be doubly hard.

Maybe the Trump White House will one day emerge from a self-imposed exile and deal squarely with  Puerto Rico instead of reaching out exclusively or caring only about those who voted G.O.P. in the last presidential election.