Puerto Rico: Getting power restored following Hurricane Maria

PUERTO RICO — Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans are still in the dark following Hurricane Maria.

The town of Villalba is home to about 20,000 people and 50 percent of them are without power.

"No electricity, no water, no hope," a resident told Channel 9's Nancy Alvarez while she visited Puerto Rico last week.

Mayor Javier Hernandez spent $100,000 from city funds to buy trucks, hire retired power company workers as advisers and trained city staff and volunteers to repair 25 light posts in three weeks.

The crew has already restored power to 500 families.

Hernandez said 3,000 homes were damaged by the hurricane and rebuilding his town could cost up to $20 million.

Hernandez said more help and money will come eventually, but the town is done waiting.

“We are people who like to fight hard. Never surrender,” Hernandez said.

Cox Media Group