Power has been restored to over 1 million people in Puerto Rico nearly five months after Hurricane Maria hit the island.
Over 50 employees from We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service agreed to stay in Puerto Rico an additional two weeks beyond their original six-week commitment to continue the progress they already made in restoring power.
On Feb. 5 We Energies restored power to an entire neighborhood in Puerto Rico.
According to a Facebook post from the company, these people spent four and a half months in the dark.
"I've never witnessed anything like it. It's just sheer joy and the realization that those months of frustration are finally coming to an end," said Cathy Schulze, with We Energies.
Workers have helped thousands of people in the San Juan area, but many families are still living in the dark. That's where Wisconsin crews come in.
"The climate is definitely probably a little bit better than what you guys are experiencing at home right now," Schulze said.
Workers are dealing with plenty of challenges they're not used to during their 16 hour days.
"There's no grass, there's nowhere to put a utility pole. They're climbing up on ladders to get on top of houses and over them bringing equipment through people's houses to get into the back lots," Schulze said.
People know how to express their gratitude.
"Making them meals. Cooking food, bringing it out, setting up tables and chairs, giving them tents so that they are out of the sun while they are eating. It is really something to witness," Schulze said.
About 60 people from Wisconsin have been in Puerto Rico for close to six weeks and almost everyone down there now just signed on to stay another two weeks to keep working.
