International aid organization Oxfam slams the Trump administration's 'inadequate' Puerto Rico hurricane response

A sign that says "no gas," in Puerto Rico.

(Image credit: RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)

published 3 October 2017

International aid organization Oxfam has taken the "rare step of intervening in an American disaster" by responding to the crisis in Puerto Rico, The Associated Press writes. "Oxfam has monitored the response in Puerto Rico closely, and we are outraged at the slow and inadequate response the U.S. government has mounted in Puerto Rico," said Oxfam America President Abby Maxman. "Clean water, food, fuel, electricity, and health care are in desperately short supply and quickly dwindling, and we're hearing excuses and criticism from the administration instead of a cohesive and compassionate response."

President Trump traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday to meet with government officials and aid workers. Prior to departing Washington, D.C., he told reporters he gives his administration an "A+" for their response to Hurricane Maria. Many in Puerto Rico have been critical of the White House's response, however: Two weeks after the storm, 95 percent of the territory remains without electricity and many are struggling to get potable water and fresh food.

"Oxfam has a long history of holding governments, including in the U.S., accountable to protect the most vulnerable in times of crisis," Scott Paul, the humanitarian policy lead for Oxfam America, told CNN. "Sometimes, that means helping them hold the government accountable, and in Puerto Rico, accountability is sorely needed."