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Officials dismissed for mishandling supplies 3:09
(CNN) - The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, announced on Sunday the dismissal of two other members of the cabinet, her family services secretaries, Glorimar Andújar, and housing, Fernando Gil-Enseñat.
The measure comes after the discovery of a warehouse full of supplies believed to be for Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island two years ago, the governor had previously said.
“Under my administration nobody can come to me with lies. I have a commitment to the people of Puerto Rico. Public officials who serve with me have to have the same commitment, ”Vázquez said during Sunday's press conference.
- The director of the Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Management is assigned in Puerto Rico
The layoffs mean that Vázquez dismissed three members of his cabinet in just over 24 hours, as Carlos Acevedo, director of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Office, was fired on Saturday.
Acevedo has denied accusations that his office mishandled the supplies by saying that the agency continued to distribute them, even during the time that Hurricane Dorian and Hurricane Karen threatened the territory. Some of the water vanes left in the warehouse had expired, he said.
The former official added that no residents had been denied supplies in the warehouse, including food, diapers, baby formula and cribs, he said.
Vázquez announced Sunday that Nino Correa will be the new chief of operations of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Office, replacing Acevedo.
The governor had previously said that the Secretary of State, Elmer Román, will now coordinate the emergency assistance and the General Assistant of the National Guard of Puerto Rico, José Reyes, will be in charge of the Office of Emergency Management.
The head of government has already ordered the Secretary of State to conduct an investigation into allegations of mishandling of supplies.
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What was in store
The discovery of the supplies was made earlier on Saturday, when several residents were seen opening the metal doors of the building and asking the authorities to distribute what was inside, including the numerous water vanes and other boxes with emergency supplies.
The warehouse was in the city of Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico.
It didn't take long for families to start lining up in hopes of getting bottled water, food and emergency radios, said WAPA, a CNN affiliate.
Residents have continued to deal with the disaster in recent weeks: the tremors and aftershocks since late December have severely destroyed or damaged hundreds of structures and forced thousands in the southern area of the island to flee their homes.
More than 8,000 people have been living in outdoor shelters in the cities of Yauco, Peñuelas, Guánica, Guayanilla and Ponce. Some of the displaced are residents who are too afraid to return home for fear that a wall or ceiling will collapse
- Rafy Rivera and Nicole Chavez of CNN contributed to this report.
Hurricane Maria