SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WSVN) — Puerto Ricans are breathing a sigh of relief after Hurricane Dorian remained offshore and did not make landfall on the island.
Residents were hard at work making final preparations across the island for anything the storm might have brought their way, Wednesday.
One gift shop in the capital of San Juan, located near a tourist area, said they were expecting to close in the early afternoon.
7News cameras showed the storefront with shutters over the windows.
Other nearby businesses said they had plans to close later in the day, but when the wind and rain did not come, the stores reopened for business after sunset.
The National Hurricane Center forecast that Dorian would move to the east of the island. The storm remained offshore, but it intensified with maximum sustained winds reaching 80 mph.
However, the island has seen one fatality related to the storm. 7News learned that an 80-year-old man has died after he fell off his roof in Bayamón while preparing for the storm.
Still, heavy rainfall and flash floods presented a threat for an island all too familiar with devastation.
Many residents in the capital city expressed confidence having lived through Hurricane Maria back in 2017. However, they are still worried about the infrastructure.
“A lot of people still have that feeling of desperation of if a hurricane comes, we’re gonna be as helpless as we were when Maria came around,” resident Juan Morell said.
Many people felt that way because they went months without power and sometimes even water service.
“I’m sure those people are really sweating over this,” a man said. “This time government forces should already be concentrating on that area.”
The Pagan family has been in Puerto Rico for a week and were determined to have fun no matter what.
“Puerto Rico people — they’ve went through worse, and they picked themselves up quick, so I know that together, the unity on this island, that everybody’s gonna be good,” Gabriel Pagan said.
San Juan has set up a shelter with 300 beds, and residents have spent the last few days stocking up on groceries.
“We were caught by surprise with Maria, but now we’re on alert,” a store owner said through a translator.
Nearly 30,000 homes are still covered by tarps on the island. People are still waiting for the federal funding to fix their homes.
“People got closer. They’re more organized,” one resident said.
“We’ll be fine,” a beach resort worker added as he moved some furniture inside.
Members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue team — also called Florida Task Force 1 — could be seen discussing potential strategies. Forty-five members of the team are in San Juan planning and waiting.
“What we will do like we will with any deployment is we’ll work with the local officials, and between them, they’ll decide where they want to send our assets,” said Neal Aspesi, a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Search and Rescue team.
“We have a full complement of boats, personal protective equipment, flotation devices, throw bags, so we’ll prioritize areas, and then start prioritizing getting out there and helping anybody that’s at risk,” another FEMA search and rescue team member said.
Meanwhile, residents have been flocking to their local supermarkets to stock up on the essentials.
“We were caught by surprise with Maria, but now we’re on alert,” a supermarket employee said.
Puerto Rico’s governor has activated the island’s National Guard.
Around 100 flights out of San Juan have been cancelled.
As of 10 p.m., there have not been any reports of any widespread power outages.
FEMA said they have personnel scattered across the island with satellite phones ready to respond to the needs of residents.
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