Central Florida residents worry as family members brace for Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico

ORLANDO, Fla. — Marie Pernes was preparing for Hurricane Irma in Orlando Tuesday while her mother was preparing in Puerto Rico.

Pernes moved to Central Florida several years ago but still has numerous relatives on the island.

She learned Tuesday that her mother would not be able to fly back to the U.S. ahead of the storm.

Pernes did her best to reassure her mother over the phone.

“(I said) ‘Mom, you need to calm down real quick. Just take a breath,’” Pernes said. “Because she’s not supposed to be worrying a lot.”

Central Florida has a large Puerto Rican community and many people were worried Tuesday about family members still on the island.

Juan Fuentes said he was concerned for cousins and in-laws he has living in Puerto Rico.

“This is a powerful hurricane and they haven’t been hit by a hurricane this strong in a long time,” he said.

Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency for the island and the government has already designated emergency shelters.

Families who spoke with Channel 9 Tuesday said they were counting on cellphones and social media to stay in contact with family members in Puerto Rico.

Depending on the strength and path of the storm, though, they worried that power outages could sever those lines of communication.

Cox Media Group