Puerto Ricans Running Out of Cash as Hurricane Woes Mount

Puerto Ricans Running Out of Cash as Hurricane Woes Mount

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico � As Puerto Rico deals with a lack of power, food and drinking water in the wake of Hurricane Maria, residents are also in dire need of another commodity: Cold hard cash.

And that means what little other resources are available often can't be purchased by those in need.

�The cash is running out, for a lot of us,� said San Juan resident Monica Morales by phone on Thursday.

Morales said people were waiting on hours-long lines at any ATMs that happened to be open in the hopes of taking out money.

�There�s a lot of tension, it�s hard to find water and food right now and we still don�t have any supermarkets open near us,� she said.orales said security was beefed up at the banks that were running, but in the days after the storm she heard stories of people robbing those who were able to take out cash.

She said her own cash was running very low, and though she had financial support from her family on the mainland there was no way to access it without internet and power.

People wait in a long line at a bank aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Sept. 25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

�They sent me money through PayPal, but I don�t have access to internet to be able to make that transaction,� said Morales, 48. �I�m actually in the middle of this predicament because my cash is running low and I have the money via PayPal but I need the means to do that transfer.�

The New York branch of the Federal Reserve, whose jurisdiction encompasses Puerto Rico, said Wednesday that they are preparing to "meet any sustained elevated currency demand in the future.?"

Demand for cash is extraordinarily high right now, and will evolve as depository institutions regain power, armored car services are able to reach branches, and ATMs are once again active," the New York Fed said in a statement on Puerto Rico. "?We are coordinating with local and national authorities to monitor the situation on the ground very closely, and are actively preparing to meet any sustained elevated currency demand in the future."

Photos: Powerless Puerto Rico Struggles to Recover Post Maria

Hurricane Maria, which came nipping on the heels or Hurricane Irma, knocked out power to the entire island and officials have said it could take months for the territory to recover.

A relief plane tips backward after a 2,000-pound pallet of water was loaded in the back at Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Executive Airport early on Sept. 28. The relief mission run by the nonprofit Wings of Rescue has been flying daily to Puerto Rico to drop off supplies and evacuate animals. NIcholas Brown / Reuters

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan was expected to arrive in Puerto Rico Thursday evening to help with hurricane relief efforts, according to a military official.

Buchanan will be the Joint Force Land Component Commander, according to the official, meaning he will be Department of Defense's lead in working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on identifying needs and providing military assistance and assets.

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