New Yorkers Worried About Relatives As Hurricane Maria Bears Down On Caribbean Islands
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Worried relatives are saying "not again" as they fear another hurricane hitting Caribbean islands.
In East Harlem, Suset Marcantoni texted her aunt and 80-year-old grandparents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, worried they'll be safe after Hurricane Maria hits.
"My grandparents are very frail and they need constant care, so if they don't have access to it I'm afraid what's gonna happen," she tells CBS2's Jessica Borg.
Right now, the entire island is preparing for the Category 5 storm's wrath. Residents are loading up on wooden boards for their homes, gassing up their cars, and packing them with canned foods.
READ: Hurricane Jose Eyes East Coast As Maria Strengthens To Category 5 Storm
Marisol Cobos in Bushwick, Brooklyn wants to send money to her mom as fast as she can to buy supplies.
"Water, mostly water," she said.
The governor of Puerto Rico is imposing rations on water and other items, including canned foods, batteries, and flashlights.
Maria could prove catastrophic for Puerto Rico, Martinique, Dominica, and St. Thomas, which is still dealing with flooding and devastation left over from Hurricane Irma.
The only way in and out of St. Thomas now is by boat or helicopter. Puerto Rico was largely spared by Irma; the storm passed 100 miles north of it, but damage from waves still knocked out power to 70 percent of the island.
Billy Sosa says he worries about the damage a direct hit will cause. He's concerned his relatives won't treat the powerful storm with a sense of urgency, since Irma wasn't as bad as they feared.
"They're kind of caught between 'do we sit here and is it absolutely serious, catastrophic? Or do we kind of brush it off because we'll get through it?'," he said.
Many people did lose their homes in Irma and were already in shelters. Clothing donations are now pouring in with the expectation that families will be there long after Maria hits.
