Public Radio East serves Eastern North Carolina by providing news, fine arts, and informational programming that challenges, stimulates, educates, and entertains an intellectually curious audience.

© 2026 Public Radio East

Public Radio East
800 College Court
New Bern, NC 28562

EIN 56-1802728
Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

For Puerto Ricans In U.S., A Struggle To Connect With Home

A woman checks her cellphone next to a road at night in one of the few places with cell signal access in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 25, 2017. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman checks her cellphone next to a road at night in one of the few places with cell signal access in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 25, 2017. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images)

Hurricane Maria left destruction throughout Puerto Rico when it slammed the island last week. It also tore down most of the communications infrastructure that connects the U.S. territory with the rest of the world, including the millions of Puerto Ricans living on the mainland.

Tim Padgett (@TimPadgett2) from WLRN reports that Puerto Ricans in Miami are desperate to reconnect with family and friends on the island.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.