Pentagon: More than half of Puerto Ricans without access to drinking water

The number of Puerto Ricans without access to drinking water has risen sharply, the Defense Department announced on Saturday.

Fifty-five percent of the population did not have access to drinking water, the Pentagon said in a Saturday press release.

The military said last week that 44 percent of the island did not have access to drinking water.

A Navy hospital ship is expected to reach the island on Wednesday, the Pentagon said.

{mosads}The latest updates from Puerto Rico come as members of the Trump administration emphasized their commitment to helping the island, which was battered by two hurricanes last month.

President Trump is scheduled to travel to the United States territory on Tuesday, a trip that follows his criticism of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. 

“The mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump,” Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday.

“Such poor leadership ability by the mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help.”

A Pentagon spokesperson in the Saturday release said the department is fast-tracking relief efforts to said the Federal Emergency Management Agency.