ComEd Promises Manpower For Puerto Rico

Nearly four months since Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico, up to 40 percent of the island remains without power.

Now, there is a promise from Com Ed and its parent company, Exelon, that help is on the way to help rebuild.

CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez has an update.

Generators and hand-washing have been a part of life in Puerto Rico ever since Hurricane Maria. The damage is so devastating that four months later, thousands remain without power.

Reached by Skype, Rafael Morales says at the beginning it brought people together.

"But then it gets to a point that people start to get desperate because they don't see any progress," he says.

ComEd and Exelon say they will send workers, but the logistics are a huge challenge.

"You have to worry about housing the crews, feeding them," says Fidel Marquez, ComEd senior vice president.

Trucks will need to be transported to a seaport, loaded on barges and shipped to Puerto Rico.

Getting to the mountains, past the damage, removing debris and replacing equipment will be time-consuming.

Marquez says ComEd employees are eager to help.

"The overall support plan is to have workers down there until every citizen in Puerto Rico is restored," he says.

This is also a chance to modernize an aging infrastructure in Puerto Rico.