Trump’s delayed response to hurricane-hit Puerto Rico whips up wave of criticism

It took US President Donald Trump five days to respond to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria on the lives of 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico, and when he finally did, critics said his comments on Twitter were devoid of empathy.

With federal aid only trickling in and the island still completely blacked out, many Puerto Ricans have already started their own clean-up operations, with some small shops and restaurants reopening with the help of generators.

But there are still long lines at supermarkets and service stations – with fuel, water and ice all rationed.

Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rossello said on Monday he feared a “humanitarian crisis” on the island if Washington does not take “swift action” to help the US territory.

“We need to prevent a humanitarian crisis occurring in America. Puerto Rico is part of the United States. We need to take swift action,” Rossello said at a press conference in the capital San Juan, warning there could be an exodus from the island.

After facing blistering criticism for focusing much of his attention in recent days on a bitter feud with NFL players instead of the ravaged US territory, Trump launched another provocation on Monday night with a belated response to the Puerto Rican disaster. In a series of tweets he effectively blamed the islanders for their own misfortune and acknowledged that Puerto Rico was “in deep trouble”.