LYNN — A Lynn man who lost contact with his Dad after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last week has received word that his father is safe.
Isaac Davila said his parents were still clearing debris from their Manati home from previous storms when Maria pummelled through. He received a photo of his dad, who is known for his quirky inventions, at 3 a.m. Wednesday dressed in a reflective vest and hardhat.
Davila didn’t find out his dad, Juan Davila Maldonado, was safe until a friend from San Juan drove to Manati to check on him. He received a second photograph of his parents once his friend returned to an area that has Internet access.
“He was glad to report that they were OK and that everything in his property survived,” said Davila. “He said ‘your father’s crazy inventions are paying off — everything in his house works.’”
Davila said his father is always coming up with ideas.
“My father is always doing things,” said Davila. “One of them I know is a giant water tank he has on the mountain next to his house. I believe it collects rain and passes through a filtration system he put together all by himself.”
Hurricane Maria, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, struck the U.S. territory Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds of 155 mph. The storm was stronger than Hurricane Irma when it devastated the Florida Keys earlier this month, according to the Associated Press.
Parts of Puerto Rico were still recovering from Irma, which left more than 1 million people without power and caused widespread damage, when Maria hit. The entire Caribbean island was left without electricity in her wake, leaving many people with family from Puerto Rico with trepidation about their well being and limited communication to the U.S. territory.
Davila said he also used an app called Zello, which works like a walkie talkie, to find out that cell signal had returned to parts of the island on Sunday morning.
He first successfully reached his cousins, who told him that the streets were filled with people clearing debris with saws, machetes, and any other tools they could find. Thirty minutes later, he heard from his aunt.
“She is like my second mother,” said Davila. “I could barely speak to her because I was so happy to hear her voice. She told me that everything around them looked like a bomb went off but thankfully everyone was OK and alive.”
About an hour later, a call came in from his father.
“I felt so much relief to hear his voice once again,” said Davila. “He (told) me everyone was OK.”
His focus has since shifted to supporting victims. While he hasn’t found a way to directly help his family’s neighborhoods, he donated water, sanitary wipes, toothpaste, canned goods, and rice to a collection held in Lynn over the weekend.
