This is a great question. It's exactly the type (there are many more) of question that isn't asked and debated to conclusion, and this is a big part of why politics will never get fixed in the US.
Emotionally, I feel different about Puerto Rico because it’s island that got completely destroyed. It’s not like they can get in their car and go someplace safer.
But there is a lot of land in the middle of the country that is not prone to hurricanes and floods (?)
This is the cognitive dissonance of trying to explain away the underlying truth that you want to help people you sympathize with, but not the people you don't.
But presumably you do have a problem helping them rebuild their homes where they live. And you don't have that same problem with the people of Puerto Rico, because... it's an island. Surrounded by big water.
Whether or not you can drive a car to a neighboring state is not a compelling factor on whether or not people should have to pick up and leave their home because other people no longer consider it feasible for them to live there.
Puerto Ricans have freedom of movement as well. Pay them fair market value for their houses + transportation and move them to Florida. PR is at much larger risk than the Houston metropolitan area to future disasters.
