FEMA says communication is key as Hurricane Dorian passes near Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The island of Puerto Rico is readying for the first major test of its infrastructure since Hurricane Maria nearly two years ago as bands from Hurricane Dorian come ashore.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency representative said the agency's priority for this storm is to keep communication flowing on the island and onto the mainland.

To do so, the representative said the agency has placed 100 satellite phones across the island to help municipalities communicate.

Residents spent the beginning of this week preparing on their own.

A steady stream of shoppers with carts filled with bottled water and canned food filed out of a Costco in San Juan Tuesday afternoon.

Shoppers filled carts with everything from extension cords to garbage bags. The island is expected to start feeling the effects of the storm Wednesday afternoon.

The Costco store Alvarez visited ran out of bottled water Monday but restocked by Tuesday. By then, the store limited customers to five cases per person.

READ: Dorian becoming better organized

Isabel Aponte said her fellow residents have learned a lesson since Hurricane Maria.

“A lot of people say it’s not going to come. It’s not going to happen. But I think now people are more prepared than before,” she said.

So far, the island has been spared a direct hit.

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See how the island has fared so far below:

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Cox Media Group