With Hurricane Maria’s path of destruction, the lives of Puerto Ricans are left in shambles in its wake.

The aftermath of Hurricane Maria has affected the lives of people in Puerto Rico in drastic levels. Large-scale damage and the lack of resources have placed the Puerto Rican population in the middle of a war zone. The difficulties that the population face threaten survival greatly, as the lack of resources have presented a challenge to survival. The devastation has resulted in the displacement of millions, and the lack of clean water for almost half of the population has placed them in extreme jeopardy.

Such a state of disaster has even led to the governor of Puerto Rico stating that the country is on its way to a humanitarian crisis. Immense shortages of food and clean drinking water, the lack of supplies to treat the sick and injured, and the displacement of millions have sent the country into disarray. However, despite being territory that is owned by the United States, aid for the torn nation is yet to be seen.

President Trump has made statements about the nation amidst a series of controversy, as expected. Attempting to equate the damages caused by the hurricane to poor infrastructure and overall poor development of the nation might be in poor taste, but is certainly expected of our great president at this point. However, the president has announced that he will be visiting Puerto Rico soon in order to get a first-hand understanding of the damages that have taken place. Even though the statement and commitment have been made to visit two weeks after the devastating effects – actions that can hardly be called ‘immediate’ – there is still some initiative being shown.

However, the world is indeed not headed towards greener pastures, as the most recent updates show that the Department of Homeland Security under the current administration’s authority has declined to provide immediate aid. The reasoning? Damaged ports would not allow the ships to dock, so sending aid and waiving The Jones act ­is simply not possible by their standards.

This, despite the tragic circumstances, grants us an interesting perspective in the tacit understandings of Donald Trump, regarding the country and how geographical restraints dictate the viewpoint of the administration. Anything beyond the physical restraint of the main landmass of North America that serves as United States territory is within the discretion of the political eye. The restrictive, isolationist mentality developed through this geopolitical understanding alienates the rest of the world very effectively, regardless of any possible political affiliation with external landmasses.

Aside from the perspective generated through isolationist nationalism, the fact that it is a political incentive to come to the aid of the 3.4 million people suffering in Puerto Rico, a United States territory, cannot go amiss. The United States has its responsibility to come to the aid of the people that they rule over in the face of a legitimate humanitarian crisis.

Despite however ineffective this administration might be, if people are in despair, the government for the people, by the people, and of the people,