Oxfam slams U.S. response in Puerto Rico as “slow, inadequate” – “Clean water, food, fuel, electricity, and health care are in desperately short supply and quickly dwindling”

Desdemona Despair

By Avery Anapol
3 October 2017

(The Hill) – Oxfam America is stepping in to help Puerto Rico, saying the Trump administration’s response has been “inadequate.”

The global nonprofit’s president, Abby Maxman, said in a statement Tuesday that the group is “outraged” at the U.S. government’s slow response in Puerto Rico, where more than half of the population is without clean drinking water and food and electricity are scarce in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

“We’re hearing excuses and criticism from the administration instead of a cohesive and compassionate response,” Maxman said.

The organization primarily focuses on humanitarian aid in developing nations and rarely helps wealthy countries like the U.S., but it said it is making an exception as the situation in Puerto Rico worsens.

Maxman said the group will join with Puerto Rican leaders to work with Congress and federal agencies to organize relief efforts, adding that a team has been sent to San Juan to provide direct resources to residents, particularly in rural communities.

“The US has more than enough resources to mobilize an emergency response but has failed to do so in a swift and robust manner,” she said. [more]

Oxfam slams US response in Puerto Rico as ‘slow, inadequate’

Statement by Oxfam America President Abby Maxman regarding Puerto Rico Hurricane Response

2 October 2017 (Oxfam) – In response to the US Government’s continued failure to adequately respond, and ahead of President Trump’s planned trip to Puerto Rico, Oxfam America President Abby Maxman said:

“Oxfam has monitored the response in Puerto Rico closely, and we are outraged at the slow and inadequate response the US Government has mounted in Puerto Rico. 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. The US has more than enough resources to mobilize an emergency response but has failed to do so in a swift and robust manner. Oxfam rarely responds to humanitarian emergencies in the US and other wealthy countries, but as the situation in Puerto Rico worsens and the federal government’s response continues to falter, Oxfam has decided to step in to lend our expertise in dealing with some of the world’s most catastrophic disasters.”

Oxfam is pursuing a two-pronged response: advocating for a better, faster, and more inclusive response to the crisis, and also supporting local partners who are on the front lines of the emergency:

• Oxfam will join forces with Puerto Rican leaders to appeal to Congress and other federal agencies in Washington to dedicate resources to the response and remove barriers that are keeping aid out, and to commit to long-term support to help Puerto Rico build back better. We’ll also engage policy makers about the roles inequality and climate change are playing.
• In addition, Oxfam has sent a team to San Juan to assess a targeted and effective response. We are currently determining how best this response could benefit from our expertise, such as meeting the needs of rural communities who face increasing risks of disease like cholera without clean water, providing shelter and meeting other immediate needs. Oxfam will channel vital resources and give technical support to the right people on the front lines, including the local government and local organizations that were there as this emergency struck and that will be there for the long road to recovery. Oxfam believes partnerships with local leaders result in an effective and sustainable response that best supports the affected communities, and we have used it to great success all around the world, and in the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Statement by Oxfam America President Abby Maxman regarding Puerto Rico Hurricane Response