Montgomery County Family Makes Contact With Loved Ones In Hurricane-Ravaged Puerto Rico

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)—The new normal in Puerto Rico is waiting hours in line to get a little bit of food, a little bit of water and a few gallons of gas.

But for millions on the island and millions more in the United States, one of the hardest things to deal with in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria is the lack of communication with loved ones.

This was the case for Javier Gonzalez and his family in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. They have been worried sick, desperate to know if Javier's parents in Ponce, Puerto Rico were safe.

How To Help The Hurricane Victims In Puerto Rico

CBS3's Alicia Nieves wanted to help and traveled for hours on Monday to assist Javier to reconnect with his family.

And then it happened.

With the help from a satellite phone and Javier's family in Puerto Rico, it was all smiles from both ends of the phone.

"I thought I was going to have to send the Marines out for you," said Javier joked over the phone.

At this time, about half the island in Puerto Rico has running water, a number that is expected to rise to 60 percent by the end of the week.

The governor of Puerto Rico says a quarter of the residents will have power by next month.