FEMA lost track of over a quarter-million dollars in supplies intended for Puerto Rican hurricane re
FEMA lost track of over a quarter-million dollars in supplies intended for Puerto Rican hurricane relief: Report
A watchdog report found FEMA "lost visibility" of nearly 40% of shipments.
By Quinn Owen andJoshua Hoyos
October 1, 2020, 5:44 PM
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FEMA lost track of more than a quarter million dollars in food and supplies intended for Puerto Rico over the course of its response to 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria, according to a new watchdog report that found delays and mismanagement in the disaster response efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found that FEMA "lost visibility" or failed to fully track nearly 40% of shipments to Puerto Rico with a value of nearly $257 million in meals, water, blankets and other supplies. Of the nearly 10,000 shipping containers sent to Puerto Rico, 19 were never recovered.
The impact was felt in the long delays in the delivery of supplies. Goods sat under FEMA control on the island, on average, for about 48 days after they were delivered, and shipments of water and food were delayed by about two months, according to the report.
"Given the lost visibility and delayed shipments, FEMA cannot ensure it provided commodities to Puerto Rico disaster survivors as needed to sustain life and alleviate suffering as part of its response and recovery mission," the report reads.
More:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fema-lost-track-quarter-million-dollars-supplies-intended/story?id=73371292