COAMO, Puerto Rico — A community recreation center in Puerto Rico has become a public health hazard six months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, residents say.
- Coamo residents say community center is hazardous
- Dead birds, guano create stench at facility
- 'This place is a mess,' resident Jose Bernal says
Neighbors in Coamo say they've spoken to the mayor, but in the meantime, they sit and wait.
"You see tennis, Olympic wresting, we have taekwondo, we having boxing... The people who actually play is the ones who fix the area," Coamo resident Jose Bernal says.
But, "as you see, we don't have a lot of kids but because it's disgusting... Yes, there is a lot of bird poo."
A camera mounted on a drone gives a bird's-eye view of a gymnasium — which it accesses via a gaping hole caused by Hurricane Maria.
As the camera tilts, it uncovers a gruesome discovery: dead birds on the basketball court.
"This place is a mess, from Maria to this day, this place is a mess," Bernal says.
Parents are concerned not only about the dead birds but the sidewalks covered in bird feces.
It's apparent in the smell that lingers in the air.
"I hope to God we're back to normal like we were 8 or 7 months ago," resident Marvin Franco says in Spanish.