Trumps get first look at storm-ravaged Puerto Rico

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump toured storm-ravaged Puerto Rico Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a massive Category 4 storm. The presidential motorcade dodged downed trees and drooping power lines as it maneuvered through San Juan, the U.S. territory’s capital. Puerto Rican officials have criticized the Trump administration for not responding more quickly to help the island recover. After arriving at the airport in San Juan, Trump immediately met with officials and shook hands with one of his most vocal critics, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. The two sparred over the weekend, with Trump dismissing Cruz’s complaints as politically motivated. By contrast, Trump praised Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló for his appreciation of federal assistance efforts. “He didn’t play politics at all,” Trump said. Officials predicted Puerto Rico’s catastrophic damage ahead of the storm, noting decades of infrastructure neglect had left the island’s systems particularly vulnerable. Equally, long-standing fiscal mismanagement left the island without resources that could speed recovery. Although 95 percent of Puerto Rico remains without power, 60 percent of gas stations are open now, and 45 percent of residents have access to drinking water. More than 10,000 federal officials are deployed across the island, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.