>During these times you mention,

> were hospitals closed?

Some, not all. Depends on size and priority. They get brought up depending on priorities. In Puerto Rico, Trauma 1, Centro Medico, has to up first for example.

> Shops closed without anything coming in?

Some yes (most smaller ones). Others, no. Problem is that in Puerto Rico the denser area, the metro area, is just on small area of the island. There, bigger stores were opened. In other towns, there you don't have bigger stores. You just have small mom and pop shops that cater to the people in that 'barrio'.

> No banks working?

Banking in PR, the main bank owns the ATH network (an atm network), that has to go up. Pretty sure it's at the same priority of Trauma 1 hospitals so that people aren't stuck. But you actually get a lot of people going to the banks and getting out as much as they can.

> No fuel?

It took *A LOT* of time to get fuel and gas to individuals. Reserves go first to priority one.

> Nothing being brought to the people?

Mostly by random people. As you heard of people in towns that are complaining of not receiving things, you have other regular people going up. The government was a disaster. Both local and federal, including army and fema.

There are local areas with cattle, and that grow vegetables and things. So basically, just going old school. Town squares and contacts. Money while useful for bigger stores, it's not what people needed. So, if you can find fuel and had extra.

It always goes back to basics. Helping each other out. People just get together. If a street is blocked, neighbors get together to open it up. Machetes, saws, etc. Cookouts, 'what do you have?, I have a bbq and rice, bring over vegetables and we'll make something'. 'Got a chicken, we are making asopao and feeding EVERYONE'

-----
> If so I would seriously be glad to understand how they survived (I am very serious).

It was tough. Radio operators were brought in to the island to help coordinate things because there was no infrastructure. No cellphones, no radios, no antennas for cellphones (damaged and no power), am radios to hear info.

They would just sit down in front of the house, by a tree and all they neighbors would just talk. Clean the house. Clean around debris.

Think back to childhood times, but now it's everyone.

------

I was able to get my sister, my mom, my grandparents over to my place 6 weeks after the hurricane hit. They stayed with me for 5 weeks before they went back. They went back without having power, but water had just arrived.

My mom was caring for my grandparents. My sister was the one finding things. There were 6 hour lines to be able to get into a store to buy whatever food they had. They were buying whatever they could find, even things that were spoiled. The next day, she would do 4-6 hour lines to get gasoline for the car.

They were cooking over small fires in the yard.

My family lives in a well off city, Guaynabo. Meaning that there's a lot of influential people and I can guarantee you they were trying to pull strings and bribing people to get connected quickly.

I know it, because in the past when I lived on the island, I worked with very influential people and saw their dealings and how they moved things and how favors got exchanged for things, even for a public utility (like they had then, but since it's been privatized).

For reference, 5 years after, a category 1 hurricane just devastated the island. It's been 11 days. While the most of clients have power (denser metro area), the majority of the island (total area), are still out.