(CNN) A dispute over a government contract has slowed efforts to build temporary roofs for people in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico, officials from the US Army Corps of Engineers told CNN. The Army Corps runs a program called "Operation Blue Roof," which provides and installs temporary roofs for people on the Caribbean island that was devastated by Hurricane Maria more than two months ago. Since then, the Army Corps has installed 17,672 roofs in Puerto Rico as part of that program -- only 26% of the 66,906 applications for such roofing help. In November, the Army Corps tried to hire additional contractors to double the pace of its work, according to John Vandiver, contracting officer at the Army Corps. The Army Corps is installing about 400 so-called blue roofs per day, said Kevin Slattery, mission manager for that team.

Source: CNN December 07, 2017 03:00 UTC