Democrats denounce federal response to hurricane

WASHINGTON — Two Democratic senators say the Trump administration is still not doing enough to help the people of hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies are working hard, but “what’s required is leadership at the top, and that’s what’s been lacking.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said thousands in Puerto Rico “have no food, no water, no power, no communications, and the (federal) government is not responding with the urgency that’s needed.”

Blumenthal said Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands need at least $10 billion to $15 billion to begin to recover, but said FEMA has not offered specific numbers for what money is needed or how it would be spent.

But the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said a lot of good progress being made in Puerto Rico.

FEMA Administrator Brock Long flew to San Juan Monday and traveled to a hard-hit area in the interior.

Long told reporters he saw rush-hour traffic that included fuel and water trucks, and workers cutting grass along roadways cleared of debris. He said many grocery stores and fast-food restaurants are open.

Long is praising the efforts of more than 13,000 federal staff in the territory.

Still, 95 percent of electricity customers are without power, including hospitals.