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Trying to reach your loved ones in Puerto Rico? Who to call, email

By Fiza Pirani
Sept 26, 2017

Hurricane Maria's devastation last week crippled the island of Puerto Rico, leaving its more than 3.4 million residents without electricity, running water and without communications.

Families desperately trying to connect with their loved ones are having trouble reaching them as few of the island’s 1,600 cellphone towers are currently operational.

If you’re trying to reach someone in Puerto Rico and have been unable to connect to their cell or home numbers, there are a few additional ways to try.

The Puerto Rico's government has developed a map of the island's 12 zones, each with its own municipalities.

» RELATED: Hurricane Maria: Live updates

The map shows phone numbers for the municipalities and regions, and, according to the Miami Herald, the numbers will connect you with the nearest Puerto Rico State Agency for Emergency and Disaster Management Office.

Here are the zones and their corresponding phone numbers as listed in the map:

Zone 1 (San Juan): (787) 294-0277

Zone 2 (Vega Baja): (787)965-7770

Zone 3 (Arecibo): (787)878-3454

Zone 4 (Aguadilla): (787) 882-6871

Zone 5 (Mayaguez): (787) 833-7272 ext. 7372, 9494, 9594

Zone 6 (Ponce): (787)-844-8272

Zone 7 (Utuado): (787) 814-7680

Zone 8 (Comerio): (787)867-7000

Zone 9 (Guayama): (787) 864-1600 ext. 1690

Zone 10 (Caguas): (787) 656-9643 or 787-656-9642

Zone 11 (Humacao): (787) 852-4044

Zone 12 (Ceiba): (787)863-3330

If you don’t know which zone your loved one is in, you can:

The Puerto Rico disaster team also stated:

Due to the high volume of request being handled by the Disaster Relief Team, we kindly ask you not to send follow-up e-mails, unless your or your loved ones’ information has changed. If you were able to reach your loved ones, please inform us via e-mail as soon as possible.

You can also use the American Red Cross' Safe and Well online database, which is available in both English and Spanish.

The online tracker allows people to search for loved ones or mark themselves as safe.

You may also find answers by posting your questions on the Noticias 24/7 Facebook page or the PR Informa Facebook page.

According to fact-check site Snopes.com, people have also recommended the open Facebook group Huracán María en Puerto Rico and closed Facebook groups Huracan María en San lorenzoHuracan maria mayaguez puerto rico, and HURACAN MARIA CIDRA.

Have you found other successful means of communicating with loved ones in Puerto Rico? Please let us know in the comments.

About the Author

Fiza Pirani is an Atlanta-based freelance writer and editor.

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