There are 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico, and many are struggling for survival. Because communications have been cut off, and rescue workers still can’t reach far flung areas, the full scale of the devastation is still not clear.
"This is like in war: You work with what you have," Carlos Gómez-Marcial, the emergency room director at Centro Medico in San Juan, the main hospital on the island, told the N.Y. Times.
Sen. John McCain tweeted that the Trump administration’s refusal to waive the act is "unacceptable."
of Homeland Security can only waive the act unless there’s a threat to the nation, the Dept. Sec. James Mattis need only demonstrate that a waiver is "necessary in the interest of national defense."
About 2,200 federal employees are on the ground in San Juan, including 500 from FEMA, per officials. But communications have been difficult as power lines are down.
Still, FEMA said it has been in touch with all 78 mayors in Puerto Rico and distributed satellite phones to some.