US President Donald Trump will travel to hurricane-hit Puerto Rico next Tuesday. Anger is growing over his administration’s inadequate response to victims of Hurricane Maria, with millions of residents still without power and facing long queues for supplies.

Nine days after Hurricane Maria left them empty-handed, residents of Canovanas are still removing mud. Their community is only 30 minutes away from the island’s capital.

“We have received very little help. At least here we have many neighborhoods,” Elliot Velazquez said.

Local authorities did clear the streets, but no one has come to check if all basic survival needs are being met, Velazquez added.

“We have water, but we do need food.”

Velazquez’s friend, a local teacher, could not hold back the pain. They are desperate and frustrated, he said.

“The US keeps demonstrating that for them, we are second class US citizens. They’ve done it throughout the history, and now it’s more evident with Hurricane Maria,” according to Orlando Mejia. “The US government, through their military forces and personnel, they have the equipment. They get installations where nothing exists, and it’s unbelievable that they haven’t been able to restore the electricity or at least improve communications.” 

A few blocks down the street, the medical clinic is in desperate need for diesel to power its generator. Only 5 percent of the island has electricity.

“I only have diesel until one in the morning today,” according to human resources director Diana Moncia. “We are the only operating clinic in the area, and we need to get the diesel.”

While this precarious situation prevails in dozens of municipalities in the American territory, Washington has a different perspective on how relief efforts are being deployed and distributed.

“As far as Puerto Rico is concerned, that’s been going, as you know, really well. It’s been total devastation. We have over 10,000 people in Puerto Rico right now,” President Donald Trump told the media.

However, the reality is very different in the hurricane hit region. Vasquez is worried about his mother. She underwent a surgery a few days before the storm hit. Elliot took her to a shelter, so she could recover while he along with neighbors finds a way to rebuild all on their own.