Senator Ruiz Issues Statement Regarding Hurricane Maria Death Tolls in Puerto Rico

TRENTON –

“I am absolutely disgusted that President Trump has attempted to discredit the death toll in Puerto Rico. The island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria, and it has yet to see a proper federal response. It took nearly a year for power to be fully restored, and it will be years before the island fully recovers. Many sick, elderly and disabled people did not have access to proper medical care following the storm due to infrastructure damage and power loss. People were drinking what was found to be contaminated water because it was all they had access to, and they did not know whether it was clean or not. Along with others, these conditions which were a direct result of the hurricane, led to nearly three thousand deaths. While the island can – and will – rebuild, nothing can bring back the loved ones lost, and it is abhorrent for the President to attempt to dismiss their deaths simply because it makes him look bad.”