In Reversal, FEMA Says It Won't End Puerto Rico Food And Water Distribution Wednesday

[Eugene]

Source: NPR

A spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that the agency's plan to end its distribution of emergency food and water in Puerto Rico and turn that responsibility over to the Puerto Rican government would not take effect on Jan. 31.

"Provision of those commodities will continue," spokesman William Booher said. A different spokesperson, Delyris Aquino-Santiago, had earlier told NPR that it would "officially shut off" its food and water mission on the island on Jan. 31 and hand its remaining food and water supplies over to the Puerto Rican government to finish distributing. But on Wednesday, Booher said that date "was mistakenly provided."

The agency has been working on that transition but has not finalized it, he said, adding that in the meantime, FEMA will continue providing food and water to communities on the island that need them.

The turnabout came after politicians from both political parties reacted angrily to news of FEMA's plan and after the Puerto Rican government released a statement saying it had not been informed of the impending change. On Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties had called on the agency to reverse its decision.

-snip-

January 31, 20187:38 AM ET
ADRIAN FLORIDO

Updated 12:46 p.m. ET


Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/31/582050242/lawmakers-urge-fema-to-reconsider-ending-food-aid-for-puerto-rico

[BumRushDaShow]

1. It's a shame that after Shrub fucked up FEMA during his 2 terms

and Obama finally brought them back to respectability, in comes Drumpf with the fuck-up again. I feel so sorry for their employees.

[Cha]

2. Good to hear.. Mahalo, Eugene

[procon]

3. Bumbling, incompetent amateurs, and liars, to boot!

Someone at the top of the foodchain told FEMA to shut down aid to Puerto Rico. That certain someone must really dislike people who are poor and happen to have darker skin, and speak spanish, to deliberately deprive them of food and water.

We treat animals better than that in America, and we send humanitarian aid all around the world to save human lives. Yet someone thinks that the American citizens who live in Puerto Rico don't deserve the same benefits and services as other Americans who were impacted by natural disaster while living stateside. The only difference is the color of their skin.

[LudwigPastorius]

4. Heckofa job, Brockster!

[cstanleytech]

5. Make you a bet the only reason they reversed course is because someone is afraid

that it could cause a sudden flood of people to move to the mainland which could then tilt some elections towards the Democrats.

[mpcamb]

6. So they got the hispanic surname guy to say they were leaving then the white guy to

deliver the reversal when high-tailing it out wouldn't sell.

Play to your racist base as thoroughly as you can.