In Puerto Rico, the 'natural disaster' is the US government

[DonViejo]

BY YXTA MAYA MURRAY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 11/23/17 09:00 AM EST 24 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

The wreckage of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Irma teaches us that there is no such thing as a “natural disaster.” This trope drives the federal response to environmental traumas under the Stafford Act, which allows the U.S. president to direct funds to any “state,” including Puerto Rico, when it is felled by events such as hurricanes.

The failures of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), show the illusions of the “disaster” story: It characterizes environmental traumas as short-term, one-size-fits-all catastrophes that are nobody’s fault. It also positions the federal government as a savior of victims, who should be thankful for U.S. aid that is given a matter of largesse. For this reason, President Trump could make the now-infamous complaint that “they” “want everything done for them” via Twitter on Sept. 30, and on Nov. 17 request that Congress provide only $44 billion in aid, a number that Senator Patrick Leahy (D, Vt) describes as “insulting,” especially for Puerto Rico.

Reliance on the story may also explain why the colorful FEMA “timeline” describing U.S. aid appears to stop at Oct. 31 as of this writing, and contains perfunctory assessments of efficient debris-clearance.

Interviews with Puerto Rican residents and responders that I conducted in November, however, reveal a different tale — one where FEMA administrators misunderstood the real dimensions of environmental “disasters,” which may begin far before the event, unfold in highly site-specific ways, and can continue for decades if not longer.

more
http://thehill.com/opinion/international/361235-in-puerto-rico-the-natural-disaster-is-the-us-government

[Gothmog]

1. Trump's incompetence is killing US Citizens in Puerto Rico