The president’s comment, made as Hurricane Florence nears the US, ignored the government’s slow response and crisis that lingers

Donald Trump’s definition of an “unsung success” was immediately questioned on Tuesday when he used those words to describe the federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria.

His comments, made as Hurricane Florence churns toward the US, ignored the stark reality that the US government was slow to respond when the devastating storm hit Puerto Rico, and a crisis still lingers on the island nearly a year after the category 4 hurricane made landfall on 20 Sep 2017.

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A look at the destruction Maria left on the island of 3.3 million Americans and how the government responded: