Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 26 sepTember 2017

Puerto Ricans hunt for precious Wi-Fi and cell signals

Dominican Republic. in Hormigueros on the is-
Dozens of other Puerto Ri- land’s west coast.
cans opted to pull over to Rodriguez last spoke to her
the side of the road along family before the storm
various highways where and her relatives were
cellphone signals were planning on being togeth-
strongest. er for it. Since then, calls
Carlos Ocasio, a mainte- to their cellphones have
nance worker, picked his gone to voicemail.
way through tree branches “I’m absolutely numb at
and broken glass bottles this point. It’s a roller-coast-
as he found a spot with a er of emotion,” she said.
good signal. Soon, he was “Not knowing is extremely
able to reach his brother in agonizing.”
New Jersey. Her mother-in-law is in the
“My throat got a little San Juan area and some-
choked up and I couldn’t how managed to connect
talk for a minute,” he said. with someone who works
“They’re calling me from for the mayor of Hormigue-
everywhere, asking when ros, who was able to tell
I’m going to arrive.” Rodriguez that the area
Others in Puerto Rico and where her parents live es-
abroad called a local radio caped flooding. But she still
People congregate at a wifi hotspot in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria with many cellphone station to provide names, doesn’t know what the ac-
towers down in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. numbers, exact addresses tual conditions are like.
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) and pictures of their loved Some in Puerto Rico ex-
By DANICA COTO of Hurricane Maria — com- U.S. territory of 3.4 million ones in hopes of recon- pressed anger over what
Associated Press munication. people. necting. they said was a lack of
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) “It’s ringing, it’s ringing, it’s The low murmur at one of But for hundreds of thou- communication from cell-
— Margarita Aponte and ringing!” Aponte, a janitor, two free Wi-Fi hotspots is sands of Puerto Ricans liv- phone providers about
her relatives cleared the screamed as her phone occasionally interrupted ing on the U.S. mainland, which towers were working
road in front of her house connected to free Wi-Fi by the cheering of some- there has been only silence so they could drive in that
with two oxen, then drove and her Facetime call went one getting through the from the island. direction.
an hour from her devas- through to the mainland on largely jammed network. Shirley Rodriguez, a resi- “They’re not giving us any
tated hometown in central Sunday. Most spend hours frowning dent of New York’s Brook- information,” said Ricardo
Puerto Rico to the old tele- Her eyes filled with tears as at their phones, unable to lyn borough, said she has Castellanos, a business
graph building in the capi- she talked with nephews, connect. more than 30 relatives in consultant. “We’re in a
tal of San Juan. uncles, brothers and sisters “There’s no communi- Puerto Rico but she is es- state of emergency.”
There, thousands of Puer- in Florida and Massachu- cation. We’re in God’s pecially concerned about Castellanos visits the Wi-Fi
to Ricans gathered for setts for the first time since hands,” Yesenia Gomez, her 66-year-old mother, hotspots twice a day to try
a chance at a resource Maria destroyed nearly a kitchen worker, said as Mildred Rodriguez, who to reach his two daughters
nearly as precious as pow- every cellphone and fiber she left a message for her has diabetes and pulmo- in the central town of Gu-
er and water in the wake optic connection on this mother in the neighboring nary hypertension and lives rabo and has been able
to send a few pictures to
Former Rwandan presidential aspirant Rwigara arrested friends on social media of
the devastation the hurri-
cane left behind.
By IGNATIUS SSUUNA with forgery, Rwanda po- refused to cooperate with Her brother, Aristide Rwiga- Nearby, retiree Sylvia Cale-
Associated Press lice said in a Twitter post police and publicly re- ra, told The Associated Press ro tapped her phone with
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Sunday. The three who ar- vealed information that that his sister is being per- impeccably manicured
Rwandan police have ar- rested Saturday have been is, by law, supposed to be secuted for having dared bright orange fingernails
rested Diane Rwigara, a under investigation and confidential. Rwigara was to challenge Kagame, as she tried to reach three
leading critic of Rwandan police have interrogated a women’s rights activ- the longtime president, in brothers and three grand-
President Paul Kagame them several times. ist before she announced Rwanda’s August election. children in the hard-hit
and a women’s rights ac- “During ongoing investiga- plans to seek the presiden- He also said the criminal al- coastal town of Aguadilla
tivist, for alleged offenses tions, police uncovered cy in last month’s election. legations against the fam- in northwest Puerto Rico.
against state security. credible evidence linking Rwanda’s electoral board ily are fabricated, insisting She spent an hour walking
Rwigara’s mother and sister the trio to offenses against disqualified her, saying she they have been targeted up and down the upscale
were also detained on the state security,” Rwanda didn’t have enough signa- by Rwanda’s government Condado district unable to
tax evasion charges and police said. tures to support her candi- for refusing to do business find a signal before driving
she is also being charged Police said earlier the three dacy. with the ruling party.q
to the free Wi-Fi hotspot.q