DHS secretary pledges more help during Puerto Rico visit

FILE: Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday that officials talked about areas “where things are not moving as quickly as they could” (Photo by Alex Barth/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico— The U.S. homeland security secretary and other top federal officials have visited Puerto Rico and are promising to speed up recovery efforts and increase federal assistance for an island struggling three months after Hurricane Maria.

Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday that officials talked about areas “where things are not moving as quickly as they could” during her one-day trip to the U.S. territory with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Nielsen said federal officials will look into how to help get more supplies to Puerto Rico to speed up power restoration as well as provide federal assistance more quickly and possibly open more recovery centres across the island.

Nielsen and Carson did not visit any areas affected by the storm.