Puerto Rico’s ‘aid mountain’ builds up: Desperately needed supplies are NOT being delivered because there are no truck drivers available as Trump waives archaic shipping law to let MORE vital rations in
The White House has authorized a waiver for shipments to get into Puerto Rico as the devastated island reels from Hurricane Maria that hit last week
The Jones Act, which restricted shipments into the port of Puerto Rico, was lifted late Wednesday to allow for supplies to get to the island
Additionally Puerto Rico will be asking the US Federal Reserve for credit lines at reasonable rates as they rebuild
Meanwhile people on the island are running out of money as ATM machines on the island have been wiped clean since the storm hit last week
Maria is the most powerful hurricane to hit a US territory in 90 years
By JESSICA FINN
DAILYMAIL.COM
28 September 2017
After President Trump waived a shipping act to allow for supplies to get to the port of Puerto Rico, the vital goods sit unloaded from ships- but stranded- as a logistical transport nightmare emerges.
Late Wednesday Trump waived the archaic Jones Act, which has allowed more ships to get to the port, as the Puerto Rico remains in dire need of aid and assistance after Hurricane Maria destroyed the island a week ago.
Yet, the huge shipments of supplies that have finally reached the island aren’t getting transported out of the ports as a lack of diesel, and truckers who can’t drive to their jobs, aren’t able to transport the cargo to the areas that need it.
A myriad of infrastructure problems, beyond a lack of diesel, are stopping the supply chain. Destroyed roadways are hazards for drivers, and even if truckers had gas, their jobs can’t get a hold of them to report to work as cell phone towers remain down.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter Thursday that Trump has authorized a waiver for the U.S. territory for a little-known federal law from 1920 that prohibits foreign-flagged ships from shuttling goods between U.S. ports.
She said Trump was responding to a request from Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, and that the Jones Act waiver ‘will go into effect immediately.’
Advocates who pressed for the waiver have said it could get desperately needed supplies delivered to the island more quickly and at less cost.
The White House has authorized a waiver to loosen shipping rules regarding Puerto Rico that island officials say would be a significant help for recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico more than a week ago and has left it without power and with little access to fuel and other supplies.
Republicans and Democrats had urged Trump to waive the Jones Act.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke had waived the law earlier this month to help ease fuel shortages in the Southeast following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The Rest…HERE
