FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2017, file photo, people wait in line outside a grocery store to buy food that wouldn't spoil and that they could prepare without electricity, in San Juan. Emails and text messages made public March 20, 2018, show frantic efforts after Hurricane Maria by officials of the Puerto Rican government and Walmart to get fuel to keep their generators going _ and silence from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A letter sent by the ranking member of the House oversight committee shows that as people stood in line for food and many went hungry, supermarkets were forced to throw out tons of spoiled meat, dairy and produce. (AP Photo/Ben Fox, File)

Emails show FEMA silent amid chaos after Hurricane Maria

WASHINGTON – Emails and text messages made public Tuesday show frantic efforts after Hurricane Maria by officials of the Puerto Rican government and Walmart and to get fuel to keep their generators going — and silence from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A letter sent by the ranking member of the House oversight committee shows that as people stood in line for food and many went hungry, supermarkets were forced to throw out tons of spoiled meat, dairy and produce.

The hurricane, which hit Sept. 20, shut down ports, destroyed crops and left supermarkets without electricity or fuel for their generators.

FEMA has struggled to provide assistance to Puerto Ricans, many of whom were left homeless.

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Abbey Westbury

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