Agency closed by rodent invasion defends Puerto Rico aid efforts

A Puerto Rican government agency that collected supplies for those affected by Hurricane Maria defended its efforts Wednesday, even as it confirmed about 100 boxes of goods were potentially tainted by a rodent infestation.

Carlos Mercader, executive director for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration office in Kissimmee, said those boxes were only about 10 percent of the total donations the office has accepted since the storm.

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, issued a statement Wednesday saying he was “outraged” that the supplies were not delivered to the island.

“Puerto Ricans these donations relied on during a time of crisis!” he said. “While we investigate this matter further, we encourage those who have continued donating to reach out to local non-profits working on relief efforts.”

Amid the controversy, Mercader issued a statement Wednesday saying the office had already delivered thousands of pounds of supplies to those in need through non-profit organizations and churches.

“From the passage of Hurricane Maria until last week, the Regional Office in Florida functioned as a collection center,” he said.

Organización Se Levanta Puerto Rico, CASA and Iglesia Pentecostal (ASPEN) were among the organizations he said assisted in those deliveries.

Mercader said the office has sent about 10,000 pounds of supplies to Puerto Rico. The contaminated loads left in the office were not sent to the island “because it was decided that they would be donated to the Puerto Rican families displaced in Florida” instead, he said.

On Tuesday, he had said efforts to send the boxes of water, food and other supplies through other organizations were “unsuccessful.”

The PRFAA office, Mercader said Wednesday, “doesn’t have the budget to fulfill the delivery of supplies to Puerto Rico,” which is why they opted to collaborate with other organizations for prior deliveries.

Yennifer Álvarez, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, said the agency also determined it would be too costly