Connectivity

Residents in Guayama, Puerto Rico, Share Just One Phone

By Photo of Kendall Russell
The Civil Air Patrol, in cooperation with the Air National Guard, conducts an aerial survey over northern Puerto Rico Sept. 26, 2017. Photo: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Nicholas Dutton.
The Civil Air Patrol, in cooperation with the Air National Guard, conducts an aerial survey over northern Puerto Rico Sept. 26, 2017. Photo: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Nicholas Dutton.

The record-breaking winds of Hurricane Maria decimated most of Puerto Rico’s communications infrastructure, leaving just 100 or so cell towers working out of 1,600. But one resident who runs a pharmacy in Guayama discovered that her satellite phone never stopped working. Since then, the pharmacy has become the town’s only link to the outside world.

Read more at NPR.

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