Doug Stanglin
\nUSA TODAY<\/p>\n
One of the key problems slowing recovery efforts for\u00a0millions of desperate Puerto Ricans still without power and water: the\u00a0challenge of distributing fuel<\/a>and supplies\u00a0already on the ground.<\/p>\n In many parts of the island of 3.4 million people, the\u00a0recovery in the first weeks after\u00a0Hurricane Maria\u00a0has largely been a make-it-up-as you-go-along affair,\u00a0particularly for those still cut off by blocked roads and unable to communicate to the outside world.<\/p>\n People collect water from wells and streams, clear roads and repair their own homes when they are not waiting in daylong lines for gasoline and diesel. For most, the only visible signs of authority are police officers directing traffic, a critical service because traffic lights are out across the island.<\/p>\n \u201cI have seen a lot of helicopters go by. I assume those are people from FEMA,\u201d said Jesus Argilagos, who lives in Manati and works at a grocery store that is only open part of the day because of the power crisis, the Associated Press reports.\u00a0\u201cPeople get pissed off because they see them going back and forth and not doing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n