Puerto Ricans Hunt for Phone Signals a Week After Hurricane

Wireless carriers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still struggling to get repairs underway and restore service a week after Hurricane Maria tore through the Caribbean, hampered by supply shortages, looting, closed roads and widespread power failures.

Some residents could be seen parked along highways trying to take advantage of rare pockets of cell service. People also tried to contact relatives for news by calling into AM radio stations that stayed on the air after the storm. Most of the island’s residents have no way of reaching each other or relatives in U.S. states with major Puerto Rican populations, like New York and Florida.