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January 12, 2018

Puerto Rico: Armed U.S. Agents Seize Materials from Public Power Company
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In Puerto Rico, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has acknowledged that
armed federal agents entered a warehouse Saturday operated by PREPA-the
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority-where they seized a massive amount
of rebuilding materials. A spokesperson for the Army Corps told The
Intercept that PREPA "lacked transparency in inventory and
accountability" in its rebuilding operations, prompting federal
officials to seize supplies and begin distributing them to contractors.
About half of Puerto Ricans still have no electric power 114 days after
Hurricane Maria made landfall, devastating the island. Meanwhile,
hospitals around the U.S. are reporting acute shortages of IV drip bags,
just as the flu season reaches its peak, after a major factory in Puerto
Rico that produces the medical devices was badly damaged by the
hurricane.


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