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'It's really devastating': Recovery efforts underway for earthquake victims in Puerto Rico

'It's really devastating': Recovery efforts underway for earthquake victims in Puerto Rico
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP APPROVED FEMA ASSISTANCE FOR THE ISLAND. THE EFFECTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE ARE ALSO BEING FELT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. WESH 2’S ALEX VILLARREAL SPOKE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS ON THE ISLAND. >> IT’S VERY HARD FOR THE FAMILY DOWN HERE TO SEE WHAT’S GOING ON IN PUERTO RICO. EVERYBODY’S SCARED. NOBODY’S SLEEPING. IT’S VERY HARD. ALEX AT MELAO BAKERY I ORLANDO, A POPULAR PUERTO RICAN RESTAURANT, MANY HAVE THEIR MINDS ON THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOW SUFFERING AGAIN WITHOUT POWER AND OTHER BASIC RESOURCES. >> EVERY TIME I CALL MY MOM AND SHE CRIES, SHE’S JUST HYSTERICAL. SHE’S SCARED. ALEX: MARANGELY LOPEZ LIVES IN PUERTO RICO AND CAME TO FLORIDA TO VISIT HER CHILDREN TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR. WITH HER MOTHER AND TWO OF HER KIDS ON THE ISLAND, SHE’S PLANNING TO GO BACK AS SOON AS SHE CAN. >> IT’S VERY HARD. IT’S JUST HARD, BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE THERE, BUT WE CAN’ AND THEY’RE GOING THROUGH A LOT. >> IT’S REALLY DEVASTATING. ALEX: JOHNATTAN LOZADO MOVED TO ORLANDO FROM PUERTO RICO SIX YEARS AGO AND STILL HAS LOTS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS THERE. BECAUSE WE JUST HAD THE DISASTER WITH HURRICANE MARIA, THE ISLAND IS STILL RECOVERING. I STILL KNEW PEOPLE THAT STI DIDN’T HAVE ELECTRICITY. WITH THESE EARTHQUAKES, THAT JUST ADDS A LAYER OF DIFFICULTY TO GET EVERYBODY BACK TO SPEED. ALEX: SOME SAY THE EARTHQUAKES AND THE THREAT OF MORE MAKE THIS EVEN WORSE THAN MARIA. >> IT’S HORRIBLE, BECAUSE WHEN A HURRICANE IS COMING THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW HOW TO PREPARE AND WHAT TO DO. WITH
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'It's really devastating': Recovery efforts underway for earthquake victims in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is still reeling from a pair of destructive earthquakes that occurred over the last two days.Much of Puerto Rico is still without power as engineers work to restore it in phases.Terrified of sleeping indoors as aftershocks continue, some people put mattresses in their front yards while others spent the night under white tents and tarps. The biggest of the two quakes was a 6.4 magnitude, and is one of the largest felt there in a century.It left homes destroyed, displaced hundreds of people and recovery could be more than $3 billion.The earthquakes come after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017. Some people in southern Puerto Rico said the earthquakes' damage was worse. Overnight, President Donald Trump approved FEMA assistance for the island.The effects of the earthquakes are also being felt in Central Florida.WESH 2 News spoke with people who have family and friends on the island."It's very hard for the family down here to see what's going on in Puerto Rico. Everybody's scared. Nobody's sleeping. It's very hard,” Marangely Lopez said.At Melao Bakery in Orlando, a popular Puerto Rican restaurant, many people have their minds on their family and friends now suffering again without power and other basic resources."Every time I call my mom and she cries, she's just hysterical. She's scared,” Lopez said.Lopez lives in Puerto Rico and came to Florida to visit her children to ring in the new year. With her mother and two of her kids on the island, she's planning to go back as soon as she can."It's very hard. It's just hard, because we want to be there, but we can't. And they're going through a lot,” Lopez said."It's really devastating,” said Johnattan Lozado, who moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico six years ago and still has lots of family and friends there.“Because we just had like, the disaster with Hurricane Maria, the island is still recovering. I still knew people that still didn't have electricity. With these earthquakes, that just adds a layer of difficulty to like, get everybody back to speed,” Lozado said.Some people say the earthquakes and the threat of more make this even worse than Maria."It's horrible because when a hurricane is coming, they'll let you know, and you know how to prepare and what to do, but an earthquake, it's not the same thing,” Lopez said.

Puerto Rico is still reeling from a pair of destructive earthquakes that occurred over the last two days.

Much of Puerto Rico is still without power as engineers work to restore it in phases.

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Terrified of sleeping indoors as aftershocks continue, some people put mattresses in their front yards while others spent the night under white tents and tarps. 

The biggest of the two quakes was a 6.4 magnitude, and is one of the largest felt there in a century.

It left homes destroyed, displaced hundreds of people and recovery could be more than $3 billion.

The earthquakes come after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017.

Some people in southern Puerto Rico said the earthquakes' damage was worse.

Overnight, President Donald Trump approved FEMA assistance for the island.

The effects of the earthquakes are also being felt in Central Florida.

WESH 2 News spoke with people who have family and friends on the island.

"It's very hard for the family down here to see what's going on in Puerto Rico. Everybody's scared. Nobody's sleeping. It's very hard,” Marangely Lopez said.

At Melao Bakery in Orlando, a popular Puerto Rican restaurant, many people have their minds on their family and friends now suffering again without power and other basic resources.

"Every time I call my mom and she cries, she's just hysterical. She's scared,” Lopez said.

Lopez lives in Puerto Rico and came to Florida to visit her children to ring in the new year. With her mother and two of her kids on the island, she's planning to go back as soon as she can.

"It's very hard. It's just hard, because we want to be there, but we can't. And they're going through a lot,” Lopez said.

"It's really devastating,” said Johnattan Lozado, who moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico six years ago and still has lots of family and friends there.

“Because we just had like, the disaster with Hurricane Maria, the island is still recovering. I still knew people that still didn't have electricity. With these earthquakes, that just adds a layer of difficulty to like, get everybody back to speed,” Lozado said.

Some people say the earthquakes and the threat of more make this even worse than Maria.

"It's horrible because when a hurricane is coming, they'll let you know, and you know how to prepare and what to do, but an earthquake, it's not the same thing,” Lopez said.