Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 2 october 2017

San Juan mayor in hurricane spotlight after Trump tweets

her party’s original candidate Homeland Security Secretary
dropped out. Despite being Elaine Duke’s comment that
a virtual unknown for many, the federal response to Hurri-
she cruised to a surprising cane Maria was “a good news
win by securing the support story.”
of a coalition of left-leaning Appearing on television in
interests from the LGBTQ a black shirt with white let-
community to university stu- ters that read, “HELP US, WE
dents to financially powerful ARE DYING,” Cruz argued that
unions. federal aid had been slow to
“Imagine what I’ll do when reach Puerto Rico following
I’m the mayor of San Juan,” Maria, which knocked out
she told reporters in August power to the entire island.
2012, three months before “If anybody out there is lis-
the vote. tening to us, we are dying
Once in office Cruz launched and you are killing us with
a million-dollar urban re- the inefficiency and the bu-
newal program, renovated reaucracy,” she said.
public parks and plazas and Criticism of his administra-
unionized San Juan employ- tion’s response apparently
ees as promised during her didn’t sit well with Trump,
campaign. She aligned herself who took to Twitter the
Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz arrives at San Francisco hospital in Rio Piedras in the middle of an with Puerto Rico’s large and next day to defend it as “an
evacuation of about 35 patients after the failure of an electrical plant, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, long-marginalized Dominican amazing job.” He singled out
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017. minority. She also made the the mayor, accusing her of
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) poor a priority, working to se- “poor leadership ability,” and
By DANICA COTO others “politically motivated In a U.S. territory whose re- cure federal funds to improve added, without elaborating,
Associated Press ingrates.” lationship with the mainland conditions for thousands on “They want everything to be
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The insult came hours after is usually the single most an island with a nearly 45 per- done for them when it should
— In Puerto Rico’s hurricane- “Saturday Night Live” por- prominent political issue, cent poverty rate. be a community effort.”
ravaged capital, it seems Car- trayed Cruz in a skit highlight- Cruz backs independence but “Her commitment has been Neither Cruz nor her spokes-
men Yulin Cruz is everywhere ing the latest controversy is a member of the Popular through actions, not words, people responded to re-
these days: handing out bags for the 54-year-old former Democratic Party, which sup- with the impoverished people quests for comment. Since
of ice, wading through chest- human resources executive, ports maintaining the territo- of San Juan,” political analyst Trump’s tweets she has
deep floodwaters, hugging who occupies one of Puerto rial status quo. A graduate of Nestor Duprey said, adding sought to emphasize a mes-
people in need of comfort. Rico’s most powerful posts Boston University and Carn- that those efforts continued sage of unity for the good of
Cruz has long won atten- and has become something egie Mellon, she is also a for- after the hurricane. Puerto Rico in her own activ-
tion across the island for her of a divisive figure on the is- mer member of the island’s “She has demonstrated an ity on the social media plat-
hands-on style of leadership land of 3.4 million residents. House of Representatives. empathy and commitment form.
in San Juan. But this week she Some of Puerto Rico’s mayors She first grabbed headlines to her people that have “I recognize the good heart
rose to international promi- have praised federal hurri- in 2012 when she ran against taken her to work day and that the (Federal Emergency
nence as a target of Twitter cane relief efforts, while oth- San Juan’s three-term in- night, very quietly at the Management Agency) people
attacks by U.S. President Don- ers have joined Cruz in saying cumbent mayor, cobbling to- beginning,”Duprey said. have. They want to help. But
ald Trump — including one they have been insufficient gether a campaign commit- That changed Friday when they just don’t have the re-
tweet Sunday calling her and and slow-moving. tee in just three days after Cruz was asked about acting sources,” she said Sunday on
ABC’s “This Week.”
Mexico quake toll rises to 361; 8 still missing Cruz was born in the city over

which she now presides, and
By PETER ORSI office building in a central The toll has continued to were still believed to be is married with a daughter
Associated Press neighborhood. climb gradually nearly missing inside the wreck- from a previous partner.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The National Civil Defense chief two weeks after the earth- age of the office building, Telegenic and media-savvy,
death toll from Mexico’s Luis Felipe Puente reported quake as bodies keep be- one of 38 structures that she has been criticized for
magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Twitter that the dead ing pulled from the rubble toppled in the capital. micromanaging and for wear-
rose to 361 on Sunday af- include 220 people killed — though nearly all the Rescuers “continue to ing herself down to the point
ter another casualty was in Mexico City by the Sept. collapse sites have been work intensely” at the site, where she loses her voice.
confirmed in the capital, 19 quake. The rest were in cleared by now in Mexico Mancera said in a Sunday She has been hospitalized a
where a search continued Morelos, Puebla and three City. Mayor Miguel Angel briefing on rescue and re- couple of times for asthma
at a collapsed seven-story other states. Mancera said eight people covery efforts.q problems.q