S. Florida residents with family in Puerto Rico fear for relatives' safety after Fiona pounds island
DORAL, Fla. --- Some South Florida residents who have relatives in storm ravaged Puerto Rico relayed their concerns about their loved ones Tuesday as they worked to recover from Hurricane Fiona, which battered the island.
The Category 1 storm severely damaged the island's power grid and left more than 1 million people in the dark.
Melissa Williams, who lives in Doral, said her parents, Maria and Felipe Williams, live in Toa Baja on the north coast of Puerto Rico, which is a 30-minute drive from San Juan.
Williams said she was unable to reach her elderly parents and was very worried about their safety because her 69-year-old father has difficulty walking and his vision is limited.
"When I was looking at the news and I saw a lot of flooding, I was very concerned because they live so close to the beach," Melissa Williams said. "I was concerned that they had a lot of flooding. I was worried that they were stuck in water somewhere and I couldn't get ahold of anybody. I tried calling them and there was nothing."
She said she grew more frantic.
"I tried repeatedly to phone them," Williams said. "I called them non stop and the phone just went to voice mail. I was so worried and I was so scared. My heart beat so fast. All these thoughts came to mind that they were hurt."
Yalynn Marques-Williams and her family shared their concerns about her family's safety on CBS4's Facebook page.
"We lost contact with them on Saturday afternoon," Marques-Williams said. "We were not able to reach them for over 48 hours. When we tried their cell phone we were not able to leave a voice mail message. It was just dead space.
"We were very concerned because they are older and they are alone over there," she said. "We were really concerned about getting them help after the flooding."
Amid those concerns, CBS News correspondent David Begnaud spoke to her parents.
The moment was captured on camera when Begnaud and his camera crew saw Maria Williams by a gate outside her home.
"They knew we were in the area so they said, 'We'll go check on them. I said, 'Sure,'" he said. "They just wanted to know you are are alright."
Maria Williams said they were OK.
Melissa Williams looked at the video from CBS News.
"My heart burst," she said. "I loved seeing that that she is OK and their house isn't damaged or anything. I am really happy to see her. It is comforting to see her. It is comforting to see the video and I am so glad. And when I heard the CBS News correspondent was checking, I thought this was just awesome. He is going around seeing how people are and seeing that everything is OK. I love this. I am super relieved but I think people in Puerto Rico still need help from everybody."
The storm left many of the island's resident reeling.
"I think it is horrible and really sad what happened," Williams said. "I don't think people were really prepared for it. I think they thought this was going to be a tropical storm instead of a hurricane."
Yalynn Marques-Williams added, "I am so grateful that they are ok. It seems people on the island are resilient. They take a licking and keep on ticking. They understand what comes with the territory and they don't budge."