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The mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, has attacked the Trump administration for its inefficiency in helping Puerto Rico recover from the aftermath of hurricane Maria.
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"If we don’t solve the logistics, we are going to see something close to a genocide," she said at a press conference.
“We are dying here. I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out the logistics ... for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles," Cruz added.
"So Mr Trump, I am begging you to take charge and save lives. If not, the world will see how we are treated not as second-class citizens but as animals that can be disposed of. Enough is enough."
Cruz said Puerto Rico was in desperate need of aid, claiming that the death toll from the hurricane will rise without urgent assistance.
"I will do what I never thought I was going to do. I am begging, begging anyone who can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency," she pleaded at a press conference.
Earlier today, Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary, said that she was "proud" of the relief initiatives taken by the U.S. government, claiming they would make a "good news story."
The mayor rejected Duke's assessment.
“Damn it, this is not a good news story. This is a people-are-dying story,” she said.
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"Maybe from where she's standing, it's a good news story. When you are drinking from a creek, it's not a good news story. When you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good news story," the mayor added.
As Puerto Rico deals with the crisis at hand, lenders have proposed more loans to the U.S territory in an attempt to capitalize on the situation.
The island nation already has a staggering debt of US$73 billion.
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, PREPA Bondholder Group proposed a US$1 billion loan on Wednesday and offered a small discount, reducing the debt of around US$8.1 billion to about US$7.95 billion.
Puerto Rico's fiscal agency responded saying, "Such offers only distract from the government’s stated focus and create the unfortunate appearance that such offers are being made for the purpose of favorably impacting the trading price of existing debt,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency added that creditors should "refrain from making unsolicited financing offers at the expense of the people of Puerto Rico."
Cash-strapped Puerto Rico is in shambles and nearly 3.5 million of its residents have no electricity. PREPA has the ability to restore some power to the island.
Tom Bossert, the homeland security adviser, said on Thursday that the U.S. will come up with a "new business model" for Puerto Rico.
"With them (Puerto Rico) being in debt, they don't have enough ready liquid cash to pay their normal share," Bossert told the CNN. "What we'll do — and the president has already done it — give a 180-day cost-share adjustment, and the federal government is making sure lives are protected."
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