Governor, delegation call on Trump Administration to ramp up relief efforts in Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor Carney, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester on Friday released the following joint statement regarding relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands:

“The devastation that has affected the lives of millions of Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is heartbreaking. These men, women and children may be thousands of miles away from Delaware, but they are our neighbors and we have a responsibility to help them recover and rebuild. The President has taken an important first step that temporarily makes it easier to ship aid and supplies to Puerto Rico, and we’re glad Congress has approved a first installment of disaster assistance, but there’s much more work to be done.

“The Delaware National Guard has deployed troops and flown two dozen relief missions, but we are ready and willing to do more. We have more guard units specialized in communications, engineering, aviation, security, medical, and heavy truck driving that are ready and eager to assist the emergency response efforts.

“We are committed to doing everything in our power to help, but the Trump Administration has the critical responsibility of taking the lead and activating the full force of the federal government to help these people. It must start by issuing a full disaster declaration for the entire island of Puerto Rico to ensure they can make use of all the assistance our country can give.”

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