Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, said on Sunday that despite the compassion of the U.S. public, the federal government “does not want to help” Puerto Rico.

“WE NEED WATER!” she added in an early morning tweet.

Increasingly painful to undestand the american people want to help and US Gov does not want to help. WE NEED WATER! @UN @washingtonpost — Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 8, 2017

Close to three weeks after Hurricane Maria hammered Puerto Rico, much of the island remains without running water after Hurricane , according to a Thursday report in The Miami Herald. Many residents are still bathing and collecting drinking water in limited quantities from freshwater sources, or using bottled water provided by the U.S. military.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has been an outspoken critic of the federal government's response to the hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday, Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, dismissed Yulín Cruz’s comments as “political noise.”

“We filtered out the mayor a long time ago,” Long told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “We don’t have time for the political noise.”

“The bottom line is, is that we are making progress every day in conjunction with” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, Long said. “And in regards to the power failure, we’re restringing a very fragile system every day.”

Cruz and the Trump administration have been engaged in a running battle over the adequacy of the federal response to the damage cause by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that devastated the island.

Responding to criticism on Sept. 29 that aid from the United States was arriving in Puerto Rico too slowly, President Donald Trump chalked it up to the logistical difficulty of getting aid to an island “surrounded by water. Big water, ocean water.”

Story continues

In televised remarks that same day that went viral, Cruz lit into FEMA and put the onus on Trump to fix the situation.

“Mr. Trump, I am begging you to take charge and save lives,” she declared “After all, that is one of the founding principles of the United States of North America. If not, the world will see how we are treated not as second-class citizens but as animals that can be disposed of. Enough is enough.”

Her complaints prompted a public feud with Trump, who took her comments as a personal affront.

In a series of tweets, Trump accused Cruz of acting on the advice of mainland Democrats and argued that she was showing “such poor leadership ability.” He added that Cruz and other Puerto Rican leaders “want everything to be done for them,” a comment that prompted charges that Trump was deliberately employing a stereotype of Latinos as lazy.

The attacks from Trump drew widespread condemnation from Democrats, who noted that Trump launched the broadside while spending the weekend at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. Cruz, by contrast, had been seen walking through waist-deep water with a megaphone as part of her personal participation in rescue efforts.

To be clear, this is the mayor of San Juan who he insulted. She's using a bullhorn to find people. pic.twitter.com/OsbcNKANLd — Denice Frohman (@denicefrohman) September 30, 2017

The tiff continued when Trump visited Puerto Rico on last Tuesday, attending a meeting with Puerto Rican officials, including Cruz. Trump raised eyebrows by saying Hurricane Maria was not “a real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina, given that many more people died in the 2005 storm that battered Louisiana and Mississippi. He also tossed paper towel rolls to a crowd of Puerto Ricans as if he were shooting basketballs.

Cruz responded by calling Trump the “mis-communicator-in-chief,” denouncing his visit as “terrible and abominable.”

This story has been updated with details on the continuing disputes between Cruz and the Trump administration.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Also on HuffPost

Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromï¿½Hurricaneï¿½Maria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.