Most of Puerto Rico remained without power Monday in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. People in western Connecticut with friends and family in Puerto Rico say they hope the island has an easier recovery than it did after Hurricane Maria back in 2017.

Edgar Rodriguez, owner of Luz de Paz Funeral Home in Bridgeport, says he has a home in Puerto Rico.

"One of the things that has not been compromised as bad has been cellphone signal. So, I've been able to communicate with all my family, and thank God they're all well," he said.

Rodriguez has been watching news reports from home as the island saw roughly 2 feet of rainfall in 24 hours. Many Puerto Rican roads turned into rivers at the height of the storm.

Rodriguez says the island is still not fully healed from its last major hurricane five years ago.

"Unfortunately, they have been unable to get past Maria when here we are again. And the few little improvements that were done probably were just destroyed because of the amount of water they've had," said Rodriguez.

He says Puerto Rico will need federal aid for this recovery and that money should be spent on real infrastructure improvements.

"We can't just send money and 'Hey, let them do what they need to do.' No. We need to send people to visually watch and make sure things are being done the way they're supposed to be," said Rodriguez.

Fiona brought less wind than Maria did five years ago, which Rodriguez hopes could point to an easier rebuild this time around.