Puerto Rico braces for Hurricane Irma

PUERTO RICO — Many Puerto Ricans in Central Florida are praying for their families and friends as the Caribbean island braces for Category 5 Hurricane Irma. The powerful storm, with sustained winds up to 185 mph, is set to move north of the island Wednesday night.

A woman from Kissimmee told Channel 9's Nancy Alvarez that she's in Puerto Rico and plans to ride out the storm.

Yolie Cintron is in the town of Arroyo and went to the island for her aunt's funeral. Her return flight scheduled for Friday is now on hold.

Cintron said 18 people are staying in one home and 20 others are in another home to wait out the hurricane.

“Everybody is scared. We don't know what to expect. And how many days we'll be without lights,” Cintron said. “People are preparing with generators and batteries and things, but not everyone can afford that.”

The ongoing economic crisis in Puerto Rico has impacted infrastructure. Cintron said a dam in one town, Patillas, is cracked. She said several towns around it are expected to flood.

Cintron said she also worries budget cuts could impact response times, but she said she is sure of one thing: Puerto Ricans are tough and her island will get through whatever Irma brings.

“We are very proud of our little island. We have a rainforest, lakes, the best beaches ever. We have the best people ever. We are tough, tough cookies,” Cintron said.

Cox Media Group