Ocean County residents who wanted to help provide aid to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico were reportedly told by the county freeholders that Puerto Ricans should do more to help themselves.

County resident Mary Ann Allacci says that she went to last month’s freeholders meeting to ask of the county could use its social media accounts and website to help publicize aid drives for Hurricane Maria victims.

Allacci says that instead of help, she got a lecture from the leaders

“There was just no empathy,” Allacci says. “I was shocked that there was no empathy at all towards the island.”

Freeholder Gerry Little says that those remarks were just a small part of a larger conversation.

"We support the victims of the hurricanes in Texas and in Florida, Louisiana, all of those areas that have been hit this year and including Puerto Rico,” he said. “We support Congress in its effort to provide funding for hurricane relief for all of these communities.”

Another freeholder, Joseph Vicari, compared Puerto Rico to Ocean County after Superstorm Sandy, and reported said that the locals helped each other recover. Vicari did not respond to News 12 New Jersey’s request for comment.

Freeholder Little stated that Ocean County still has about 10,000 families who are still not in their homes due to damage from Sandy.