National Public Radio (NPR) | By: Camila Domonoske | GPE – September 29, 2017:

Millions of people have no access to a power grid in Puerto Rico. Gas for cars and generators is hard to find. Cash is in short supply. But there is another need that is even more pressing. “I can live without power,” says Wanda Ferrer. “But I can’t live without water.”

Originally published September 27, 2017: Ferrer was one of many people filling up at a government spigot in Toa Bajo, west of San Juan. Communities across Puerto Rico have lost running water as a result of the widespread power outages from Hurricane Maria, and it’s not clear when it will be restored.

Bottled water isn’t easy to get. Some stores have water in stock, but the lines are massive. And not everybody can drive to a grocery store; cars were damaged in the storm and gasoline is tight. Some municipalities have distributed water from trucks, though many residents in the interior say they haven’t seen one.

Many people are living off stockpiles, like Martha Viera and her daughter Veronica Vargas. They rode out the hurricane in their house on the top of a mountain ridge, near Aibonito in central Puerto Rico. The eye of the storm passed right over them.

But they still had water in their storage tank, plus several cases of bottles from the grocery store. And Vargas’ husband, Juan Pablo Santos, had tied two 55-gallon barrels to their roof with wire and filled them up before the hurricane.

“With the gravity, through the hose, it comes down, and it’s like you have running water,” Vargas said. They’ve gone through one of those barrels already. They think they’ll be OK with their supplies — but no one is sure how long it will be before the water comes back.

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Image Credit:
Ground Guide – A Puerto Rico Army National Guardsman ground guides while directing a truck transporting water to be distributed to residents in the San Jose community in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Sept. 24, 2017, continuing relief efforts after Hurricane Maria’s aftermath. Puerto Rico Army National Guard. Photo by: Alexis Velez | VIRIN: 170924-Z-HW727-007A.JPG