Puerto Rico Officals Say 'People Are Going To Die' After Hurricane Maria

A week after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the island is devastated. The Category 4 storm struck Puerto Rico with winds of 155 mph. The island is now almost entirely without power, which threatens people at hospitals.

“People are going to die,” said Dorado Mayor Carlos López Rivera about dialysis patients in the town on Wednesday.

Gasoline, crucial for running electrical generators, is also hard to come by. Half of the country is without water and only 20 percent of Puerto Rico’s cell towers work. Food and water are being shipped in by sea and by air by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but more is needed. Rural areas, in particular, are not getting the supplies they need.

“It's life or death,” San Juan mayor Carmen Cruz told CBS News Tuesday “People are starting to die already. People are really dying. I've put them in the ambulances when they're gasping for air.”

At least 18 have died in the U.S. territory so far.

Puerto Rico’s governor has thanked the President Donald Trump for his response but said that the island needs more help.

“He has been acting proactively,” said Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to the New York Times Tuesday. “We still need more, and the president understands that and his team understands that.”

Many hospitals have been put out of commission by the storm, and the ones that are operating are run by diesel generators.

Infrastructure in Puerto Rico was also badly damaged. In addition to the electrical grid, road and bridges have been washed out and ports are operating at a limited capacity. Puerto Rico’s main airport in San Juan has been devastated, and groups of people are stranded there with the hopes of getting out. There 10 flights in and of the airport Tuesday, and officials anticipate only around 18 on Wednesday.

“Let me begin by saying that our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, who are suffering in the wake of yet another catastrophic hurricane," Trump said. "Their island was virtually destroyed,” said Trump at a rally introducing tax reform.