By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

U of L student trying to rejoin family in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico

Sep 29, 2017 | 10:28 AM

LETHBRIDGE – It’s been a double-whammy for a University of Lethbridge graduate student.

Francisco Gomez was not only caught in one of the earthquakes that struck Mexico earlier in September, but is now trying to get to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico to help and be with his family.

“I managed to talk with all my family and friends,” Gomez said in an interview. “They’re all okay, but when you see the news, you see that that’s not the case for a lot of families.”

All of Gomez’ siblings are in Puerto Rico, along with his grandmother and other loved ones. His mother was on a business trip and has been trying to get back to the U.S. territory, along with his father, who lives in the Dominican Republic.

Gomez himself is hoping his Saturday flight is not cancelled. He said conditions are very slowly improving, but on Monday only ten flights went through, and most have been military or government.

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“I couldn’t speak with my family for a really long time. All the power went out, the signal disappeared, they’re without water still… this is still ongoing,” he said. “It’s been more than a week. And people still don’t have power, still don’t have water. It’s slowly getting better, but not as fast as it should.”

He’s particularly concerned about the hospitals, which have been running on generator power and are running out of diesel fuel. The mayor of San Juan told CBS News two people on life support died because of the loss of generator power.

Gomez said while the unfolding disaster is bringing out the best in people, one of the dark sides is looting.

“Because you don’t have any signal, you can’t call the police, so there’s nothing you can do. So it’s scary, but I’m hoping that people can see what’s happening and to donate as much as they can,” he said.