Ben Carson: Puerto Rico Recovery May Take Up to ‘100 Years’
- 7 years ago
Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is being criticized for appearing to joke about the time it will take for Puerto Rico to recover from its post-Hurricane devastation.
Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, is being criticized for appearing to joke about the time it will take for Puerto Rico to recover from its post-Hurricane devastation.
During an event held by The Hill Wednesday, Carson was asked how many years he thought it may take for the recovery effort to be complete, and he said, "somewhere between 1 and 100."
After a moment, Carson began to laugh.
"Sure, people are dropping dead on the island as we speak, but hey— now's as good a time as any to crack wise about how some Puerto Ricans might literally never see their homes restored in their lifetime," Splinter News wrote in response.
And New Republic tweeted, "Ben Carson's cluelessness about Puerto Rico and climate change is not only cringeworthy but dangerous."
The U.S. territory continues to face significant challenges more than a month after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island on September 20.
In addition to the spread of sickness tied to water, Newsweek reported on Wednesday that "25 percent of [Puerto Rico's] 3.4 million citizens lack clean water and 80 percent still live without electricity."
Despite his questionable humor, Carson also said during the Hill interview, "HUD was involved before any of the hurricanes hit because we knew they were coming."
"We had people on the ground already immediately assessing the situation," Carson further noted. "And we will be there until the conclusion which will be years from now."
Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, is being criticized for appearing to joke about the time it will take for Puerto Rico to recover from its post-Hurricane devastation.
During an event held by The Hill Wednesday, Carson was asked how many years he thought it may take for the recovery effort to be complete, and he said, "somewhere between 1 and 100."
After a moment, Carson began to laugh.
"Sure, people are dropping dead on the island as we speak, but hey— now's as good a time as any to crack wise about how some Puerto Ricans might literally never see their homes restored in their lifetime," Splinter News wrote in response.
And New Republic tweeted, "Ben Carson's cluelessness about Puerto Rico and climate change is not only cringeworthy but dangerous."
The U.S. territory continues to face significant challenges more than a month after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island on September 20.
In addition to the spread of sickness tied to water, Newsweek reported on Wednesday that "25 percent of [Puerto Rico's] 3.4 million citizens lack clean water and 80 percent still live without electricity."
Despite his questionable humor, Carson also said during the Hill interview, "HUD was involved before any of the hurricanes hit because we knew they were coming."
"We had people on the ground already immediately assessing the situation," Carson further noted. "And we will be there until the conclusion which will be years from now."