Further -
Trump's statement, "They are just trying to make me look bad"
is true.
Trump's claim was that the numbers were generated by Democrats in order to make him look bad. This is a lie.
As you yourself indicate, they were the result of a GWU study. That those numbers make Trump look bad is what it is. Facts have a way of stinging sometimes. Particularly for liars who would do anything to avoid taking responsibility for their failures.
They arent facts. Thats the problem
They are estimates - and everyone knows Trump means as a direct result of the hurricane
Now - again - please give specifics on how FEMA (and Trump) could have got the power on quicker, got insulin to the people quicker, etc
That's a fair question. Here's one answer:
Trump could have done what he just did with the Coast Guard and FEMA*. Pull money from another agency's budget. And allocated it for rescue and recovery in Puerto Rico. Due to it being a dire situation.
*those monies have been re-allocated to ICE, for building more detention camps and expediting deportation. See Rachel Maddow for specifics. Or google Jeff Merkley ICE FEMA.
That ICE money cant be used for hurrican relief. Maddow has it wrong.
MANPOWER was a problem. FEMA was stretched. Read ALL the stuff - not just what blasts the administration. Could resources have been pulled from mainland work and sent to PR? Maybe. Lets look at that, justly - and stop with the "Trump hates Puerto Ricans" nonsense.
Yes.
And Trump mishandled the military's involvement.
Trump brags about the floating hospital.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/16/health/puerto-rico-hospital-ship/index.html33 out of 250 beds were in use two weeks after the ship got there.
Failure to communicate effectively how to access the ship rests with FEMA.
On Sept. 19th, Trump promised aid:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/910328626075389952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E910328626075389952&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fadministration%2F353238-a-look-back-at-trumps-response-to-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-puertoPuerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!
A week later, he explained that it was a big ocean. A very big ocean.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/352450-trump-to-travel-to-puerto-rico-to-survey-damageHe also revised how the disaster was to be handled - originally, he had set PR to split costs evenly with FEMA, but now made it just FEMA's.
On the 28th, Trump finally lifted (temporarily) the Jones Act, a "shipping law, which requires American-made and -operated vessels to transport cargo between U.S. ports" The shift only lasted for 10 days and went into effect immediately - but it allowed foreign aid to get there.
On the same day, it was observed that there were thousands of containers sitting at the port, filled with supplies that were not being distributed by FEMA.
Oh, right - what could have been done?
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/353137-not-enough-troops-equipment-in-puerto-rico-says-general-in-charge-of-reliefOn the 29th, the general in charge of relief said they did not have enough people! He must have been seeking to embarrass Trump, too, right Kiid?! Sure, he said it in 2017, but so what? He knew a report would come out.
“We're certainly bringing in more [troops]," Buchanan said on CNN’s “New Day.”
"For example, on the military side, we're bringing in both Air Force, Navy and Army medical capabilities in addition to aircraft, more helicopters. ... [But] it's not enough, and we're bringing more in.”
The Pentagon has already allocated more than 4,000 troops to help in rescue and restoration efforts to the U.S. territories, but it wasn’t until Thursday, eight days after Maria slammed the Caribbean, that U.S. Northern Command sent Buchanan.
Homeland Security Advisor said there was no need for a commander before he was finally sent, 8 days after the storm. Clearly, that was false.
You asked what they could have done differently.
They could have had the Comfort ready to deploy faster - we knew the storm was coming, Kiid. But they had a 5-6 day delay on its deployment while they waited to get it up to staffing level.
They could have had the general there a week earlier so he could have figured out they were short of necessary people that much sooner. That would have allowed faster distribution of generators to stricken areas, getting temporary power up faster.
They could have taken over distribution from the poorly trained, physically unable FEMA employees, since they were healthier, stronger, and better trained.
I suspect that there would still have been a lot of deaths - but I also think they could have cut the number in half - whether you fucking like the GWU determination or not!