Americans are growing ill and bacteria outbreaks are spiking in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico as people use dirty water—sometimes contaminated by urine and hazardous waste—for drinking and bathing.
Volunteers working on the ground with the American Federation of Teachers tell Newsweek they have treated several counts of pink eye and dehydration in children, among a growing number of reports of water-related illnesses.
"The water systems have not been up and running because there is no electricity.” "I saw kids drinking from streams,” Weingarten added.
This is a month after the hurricane and we’re still talking about food and water."
The Associated Press reported 74 cases of leptospirosis—a bacterial infection where the urine of infected animals enters a water supply—since Maria hit the island in September, while health care professionals report cases of dehydration and pink eye.
The lack of electricity means water treatment facilities and purification systems are not fully functional, and some people turn to bacteria-contaminated water for relief in the humid, 80-degree weather.
Puerto Ricans were also given water from a federally designated hazardous-waste site, CNN reported.
FEMA has also struggled to coordinate with a number of volunteer organizations and non-government organizations striving to fill the gaps.
"Frankly, the water purification is not a long-term solution either," Weingarten tells Newsweek.
"It’s getting the water systems back and the water treatment centers back."