20,000 pallets of water bottles were found left unused on a runway in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Maria, CBS News has reported.
Photos of the water bottles covered by a blue tarp circulated on social media on Tuesday, the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the U.S.’s response was an “unsung success.”
The water was brought in by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricane Maria in response to a request by the General Services in Puerto Rico (ASG) for 20,000 pallets of water bottles in May 2018, according to Ottmar Chavez, an administrator at ASG.
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Chavez said in a statement that about 700 pallets of water had been distributed, but there were complaints about the smell and taste.
Given the complaints, the Puerto Rican government decided not to distribute more of the water, according to a statement by Carlos Mercader, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.
Mercader notes that there was a delay from when the water was delivered and then distributed, in which the water was exposed and not properly stored.
An estimated 3,000 people died from Hurricane Maria, which left Puerto Rico without power, roofs or running water.
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