Joyous Reunions As First Flight Arrives From Puerto Rico After Hurricane
BOSTON (CBS) – Living conditions in Puerto Rico are getting worse and officials are calling it a humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed immediately.
The first flight to Boston from Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria hit landed at Logan Airport Monday night and families are relieved.
"Oh my gosh! It's been a miracle!" said Rachel Sawyer as she reunited with her children at Logan Airport after they were stranded in Puerto Rico for days. The kids managed to get on the only flight off the island to Boston since Hurricane Maria hit.
"They made it! By the grace of God, they made it," said Sawyer. "And I'm just so happy to see them and to know that they're here and they're safe."
Hurricane Maria whipped through Puerto Rico, destroying homes and leaving behind catastrophic flooding. Millions of residents are without water, power or phone service.
One flyer is relieved to be back in the states, but says it was tough to leave his family behind.
"Communication, it's hard. They don't have Internet running. No electricity, no AC, so as the lines build up, the heat gets to you," said Matthew Melendez.
Despite the devastation, many people we spoke with plan to return to the island, just not anytime soon.
"We're going to take some time obviously, but we'll go back," Sawyer said. "We've got to rebuild. Somebody's got to rebuild."