Locals ‘desperate’ for Puerto Rico news Many struggle to reach loved ones on island

After Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico, communication with the island was essentially cut off, leaving many in Central Florida frantic for news about their family and friends.

“I’m desperate,” said Siclaly Santiago Leon, 41, of east Orlando. Most of her family lives in Ponce, on the southern part of the U.S. territory.

“We haven’t heard anything from them,” she said. “I’ve tried WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, everything. I haven’t been able to communicate with them.”

With the infrastructure damaged and 100 percent of the island without power, cellphone batteries started dying.

Luis Garcia, 32, of Kissimmee hadn’t heard from his family in Vieques since 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“I am already planning to travel in the next few days to Vieques,” Garcia said.

For many in Central Florida’s large Puerto Rican community, their minds conjured up worstcase scenarios as Maria barreled through the island — and over their loved ones — Wednesday morning with winds up to 155 mph.

“I haven’t tried to watch any more images because they had to pull me aside at work from how bad I got watching them,” Garcia said.

Rosalyn Quiñones, 33, of downtown Orlando, said she hadn’t heard from her 92-year-old grandfather in Caguas since 8 a.m. Wednesday.

“He called me and said his windows had shattered and a tree trunk had fallen on his garage,” Quiñones said. “He’s trapped.”

Some Puerto Ricans in Orlando struggled to fall asleep Tuesday night.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I honestly went to work because staying at home would just feed my anxiety,” Quiñones said.

Jean Carlos Ayala, 35, of Clermont has family in Arecibo, Toa Alta and Camuy. He’s awaiting word from his grandmother.

“She was nervous. She wanted to be alone, but when it got bad, she changed her mind. But it was too late,” Ayala said. “I could hear the zinc roofs on the street over the phone.”

Ayala said he had been checking WhatsApp to see when his friends were last online, and many were inactive for hours.

The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, D.C., said people can call (202) 778-0710 to check on family and friends. The line was busy for hours, prompting the agency to open additional lines later Wednesday. Authorities asked people to be patient.

Some residents called radio station WKAQ 580 AM, one of the last few sources of information on the island, to say they were safe in hopes their loved ones were listening.

Everyone’s eyes and ears are glued to the news — and pictures of the devastation — and the lack of communication has fueled fear.

“Watching images of San Juan, I recognize the area, and it hurts me,” Santiago Leon said. “I’m so afraid of what’s happened.”