By Emily Drooby
On the night of Jan. 20, protesters filled the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, calling for Governor Wanda Vazquez to resign.
The anger stems from the discovery of emergency supplies sent two years ago after Hurricane Maria, newly found in a warehouse on Puerto Rico’s southern coast.
Governor Vazquez issued a statement in which she called it “unforgivable” that the resources were kept in the warehouse. She fired Puerto Rico’s Emergency Management Director, Carlos Acevedo, right after the supplies were found. She also let go her Secretary of Family Services, Glorimar Andújar, and secretary of Housing, Fernando Gil-Enseñat.
Now relief workers have been sorting through the supplies, throwing out expired items and working to distribute everything else to areas affected by the recent series of earthquakes.
“We are also in coordination with other municipalities because there is a lot of equipment here that can be utilized for preparedness in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season,” explained Major General Jose Reyes of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
Dozens of aftershocks and tremors have damaged parts of Puerto Rico and has forced thousands to live in temporary outdoor shelters.
In response to the protests, Vazquez took to Twitter, writing “I respect the constitutional right of citizens to demonstrate…There is no need for the use of the shock force at this time.”