Locals fear for family in Puerto Rico as Maria takes aim at islands

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- People in Puerto Rico are boarding their homes and businesses as they prepare for the powerful Hurricane Maria. That danger has people here in Fayetteville worried about their loved ones in Puerto Rico.

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They say "home is where the heart is." For Staff Sgt. Joseph Rivera, his mind and his heart have been in Puerto Rico ever since Hurricane Maria strengthened into a massive Category 5 storm.

Rivera said he's been calling his parents every day.

"Pretty much every three hours, just trying to get a check on the conditions," Rivera said.

RELATED: Hurricane Maria still on track to slam Puerto Rico

Rivera joined the Army's 82nd Airborne Division so he could provide a better life for his family, but now he's afraid he won't have a home or a family to return to once Maria sweeps through.

"If we take into consideration what happened on the Caribbean with St. Marteen and Irma. It's pretty rough," Rivera said.

With resources running low, residents in Puerto Rico are forced to prepare as best as they can.

"The fact that there's no water, there's no gas. In Puerto Rico with a storm that big, there's nowhere to run. They just have to stay in the house and hope for the best," said one Puerto Rican native.

While some are hoping for the best, others are confident everything will work out.

"That is not going to happen because we are blessed, we're a blessed island and I think it's not going to happen as long as God is in front of it," said Chef Sio of Boricua Kitchen.

Hurricane Maria is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday.