PUERTO RICO (WKOW) — Possibly thousands of bottles of water that were sent by FEMA to aid those impacted by Hurricane Maria, sit wasted on a Puerto Rican runway after local leaders say they became contaminated.
The images went viral on Facebook on September 11.
Local officials said the water cannot be used since it sat under the sun for months and is now contaminated.
Critics say it’s another example of the U.S. government’s poor response in the aftermath of Maria.
"Obviously, our thoughts are with a lot of the hardworking folks in FEMA and in governors’ offices across the coastal states that are worried right now.
But I don’t think Puerto Rico was some great success, but I think we need to do more oversight to look at how FEMA can get better over time and hopefully they’ll perform this weekend," said Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) as he spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
"The job that FEMA and law enforcement and everybody did working along with the governor in Puerto Rico I think was tremendous.
I think Puerto Rico was incredible, unsung success," he said from the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria.
A director for emergency response said FEMA was only responsible for giving the water to local governments which was then responsible for distributing it to people on the island.