SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor activated the National Guard on Tuesday to rush food, medicine and gasoline to the popular tourist islands of Vieques and Culebra following a major breakdown in transportation that critics say could have been avoided. The announcement came after cargo ferries that supply the two islands located some 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Puerto Rico recently broke down, cutting an important lifeline to the roughly 11,000 people who live there. Ricardo Rossello said that the first shipments would arrive late Tuesday and that the National Guard would continue its mission until the situation improved and the ferries repaired. “It’s a situation ... that is chronic and spans multiple decades,” Rossello said as he signed an executive order to activate the National Guard. A shelter is currently serving as a makeshift clinic, but most people are still forced to travel to Puerto Rico for medical attention.

Source: Washington Post March 05, 2019 22:39 UTC