Exclusive: Curt Schilling tells BLP Trump’s been misled re: Puerto Rican crisis; Chaos reigns, death toll could reach 250K
Neil W. McCabe
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The World Series hero pitcher, who now hosts a weekday online radio show at Breitbart.com called “Whatever It Takes,” told Big League Politics that his trip to Puerto Rico left him frightened for the potential for massive loss of life on the island ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
“The covering up of a massive failure of government leading to the deaths of tens to hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens,” said Curt Schilling, a six-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion.
Schilling said he had an awkward meeting with Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rossello at his Emergency Operations Center.
“Meeting the gov, told him: ‘There’s over 1,000 half empty water bottles in the EOC and your people are starving’ I only know I was told that staff of his in the hallway were saying: ‘Curt Schilling jumped all over the gov’s ass.'”
Schilling was in Puerto Rico from Thursday to Sunday, when he left to attend a charity event in Los Angeles that he had long ago committed to attending.
Sum up our first two days in Puerto Rico. The very best and worst of mankind on display. The stories that will be told will not be believed.
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) September 29, 2017
A look inside some bullshit. At emergency center, food and water prices INCREASED since YESTERDAY for first responders. #shame
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) September 29, 2017
His overriding concern is for the lives in danger as the situation deteriorates, the pitcher said.
“I swear I hope I am wrong but I am telling you death toll going to be far closer to 100,000 than 10,000,” he said.
Schilling said brought a team and partnered a team of men and a helicopter pilot to help where they could and survey the damage.
“We had our own helo, we were the only private team on that island,” he said.
“If someone revealed 25,000 dead tomorrow–in no way would I be shocked, not even remotely,” he said. “Let me also say this. Again I swear I hope I am wrong, but we are nearing a day of one of two things: One: A coup or Two: Martial law. Our flyover recon mission confirmed every ounce of this.”
It seems like people were losing their humanity, he said.
“People are burying their family members in their front yards, eight officers were killed the other day, you do know the prison in Aguadilla, where most violent felons are housed?” he said. “Wall collapsed, they stayed there fine until the AC left 2 days ago.”
Schilling said he was overwhelmed by the enormity the crisis and tragedy.
“It’s so far beyond the scope of anything being reported anywhere, the mainland is in no way clued into the scope of this disaster,” he said. “The southeast part of the island? Where Maria’s eye passed? It’s not “destroyed,” rubble and bodies and what not, –it is gone, completely gone.”
The pitcher, who was a strong supporter of President Donald J. Trump during the 2016 political cycle, said he is concerned that president has not been briefed on the actual conditions on the ground.
Puerto Rican homes and other structures in ruins. (Photo by Janel Norton, Turin Aviation)
“This feels like everyone involved is going to make this a Trump disaster despite him doing it right, nothing left for him to do, he’s being screwed by his team, Puerto Rico government and corruption–and thousands are dead because of it,” he said.
Schilling said he was told by a member of the special operations community that as soon as the president leaves Puerto Rico at the end of his trip Tuesday, the island will descend into chaos.
Entire cities and towns are flooded after hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Janel Norton, Turin Aviation)
One experience sticks with him, he said.
“We had two rescue divers come down from the mountains, they were rope-walking folks across a stream, there were some 700 people on the other side,” he said.
“We called FEMA heads, they told us in a very calm reassuring voice: ‘Actually they’re exaggerating, it’s more like 100 and no ones really ‘starving.’ These people had begun to eat rats,” he said.
“Know the truly terrifying piece? It wasn’t 700, those were 700 people who’d reached that area from a town of 46,000 that did not see its very first medical help until yesterday,” said the man, who in 2004 led the Red Sox to their first World Series victory since 1918.
Ya, you Monday morning qb's keep spewing the "all is well" schtick . Thats going to kick the agencies responsible in the ass! #idiots https://t.co/axhiAweB7S
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) September 30, 2017
At one point, Schilling said he and his team stopped at elderly home and a man there told the team the residents were all taken care of. “‘Oh, no, we’ve stocked that place and made sure they were all OK’ On our return trip we made them save stuff on our last truck–against their will we forced them to stop on the return trip–we stopped and elderly folks poured out of the building for water and crackers and diapers–They had received nothing prior to us.”
Another falsehood was the report that the port at Ponce was operational and working, as shown in these two photos. “The second photo is of docks that ships will not use due to submerged hazards.”
Port facilities at Ponce, Puerto Rico (Photo by Janel Norton, Turin Aviation)
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