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.
Follow Alvarez on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
See how the island has fared so far below:
LIVE in Fajardo, Puerto Rico as #Dorian moves in...
Posted by Nancy Alvarez, WFTV on Wednesday, August 28, 2019
LIVE en route to the east side of Puerto Rico as #Dorian approaches...
Posted by Nancy Alvarez, WFTV on Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico... not far from where #Maria made landfall almost two years ago.@WFTV pic.twitter.com/ZElJmiuIFo
— Nancy Alvarez (@NAlvarezWFTV) August 28, 2019
LIVE en route to the east side of Puerto Rico as #Dorian approaches...
Posted by Nancy Alvarez, WFTV on Wednesday, August 28, 2019
PLEASE SHARE information hotlines- divided by zones- set up by the government here. May also be useful for people on the mainland looking for updates. (Note: bc I was here after #Maria, please let me know if you call and no one answers. We all remember that....)#Dorian @WFTV pic.twitter.com/SqoU5TmkwZ
— Nancy Alvarez (@NAlvarezWFTV) August 28, 2019
These are just a few.
— Nancy Alvarez (@NAlvarezWFTV) August 27, 2019
There are THOUSANDS of homes here still covered by blue tarps.
Just one reason Puerto Ricans are bracing for whatever #Dorian brings.@WFTV pic.twitter.com/cCdIbTWCnB
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