By Allison Wharton
On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, destroying everything in its path.
People are without homes, power, water, food and many other basic human necessities.
Buildings and houses were either blown away from the 65-to-113 mph wind gusts or flooded from the six-to-15 feet of water.
Ninety-five percent of the U.S. territory is still without power and will be for at least four months.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), only half of the island’s population has access to drinking water as of Oct. 5.
As of Oct. 4, the death toll in Puerto Rico is 34.
On Sep. 30, President Trump responded to the disaster by tweeting in disgust towards the Mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulín Cruz, claiming that she was told by Democrats to be “nasty” to him when he visits Puerto Rico.
Cruz said nothing political to Trump and simply asked for assistance.
Trump focuses on small issues instead of the big picture. He obsesses over his perception of how people treat him and not how he should be treating others.
When he visited Puerto Rico on Oct. 3, Trump made a statement to government officials that Hurricane Maria is not a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina because Maria has had fewer causalities.
A catastrophe should not be defined by the number of people who died. The fact a death toll exists should be considered a tragedy.
According to Trump, Puerto Rico should be proud that Maria did not cause the same amount of damage as a hurricane that occurred over 10 years ago.
Maria and Katrina are two separate hurricanes that happened at different times and affected different locations.
Trump should be looking at the present situation.
He also mentioned Puerto Rico’s debt crisis of $70 billion, which existed long before the hurricane. While the debt crisis is a critical situation, it should not be Trump’s main focus if he is only in the country for one day.
The lack of empathy Trump is showing to the people of Puerto Rico is disgusting.
Cruz asked for help and compassion and received hostility in return.
His response to this tragedy emphasizes his true character. Trump puts his time and energy into the wrong problems – the ones America does not need the answers to. When will President Trump show that he cares?