The Department of Defense's primary military liaison to the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Puerto Rico experienced the worst damage he's ever seen.

“Sometimes we don’t know what’s going to happen until the storm actually hits," Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said in an interview published on Saturday with PBS NewsHour's Monica Villamizar.

"And this is the worst I’ve ever seen."

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Buchanan surveyed the damage on the island this weekend. He said during the interview he's neither a Republican or a Democrat; he is a soldier and is there to help people.

Now, he said, Puerto Rico is having the biggest problems in the interior of the island.

"And it's because of roads. The roads are not clear on the outside of the island and we’re slowly working our way in," he said.

"But we obviously need to get all the roads cleared so we can get supplies to people who desperately need them.”

Hurricane Maria left many in Puerto Rico without basic necessities, such as food, water, medicine and electricity. President Trump has been criticized for his response to the disaster.

This weekend, Trump defended his administration's work and lashed out at the mayor of San Juan, who criticized the federal response in an emotional plea for help.

Officials on Sunday defended the Trump administration's response and sought to blame factors beyond their control for Puerto Rico's struggle to recover from hurricane damage.