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As a man with a rope hoists buckets of dirty water, further downstream, a graveyard of building facades, cars and homes remain partially submerged in layers of mud.

Photos: Hurricane Maria pummels Puerto Rico, Caribbean

The streets of Utuado are deserted. The town square is now bathed in the sounds of chainsaws cutting wood. The doors at town hall are flanked with simple signage directing people to apply for FEMA assistance.

This town is considered lucky--it happens to be a larger town with a National Guard post, facilitating the arrival of aid. But local challenges persist. Some residents know that food and supplies are arriving to the island, but question who will delegate the supplies. Eventually, a town resident said, there will come a time when residents will not accept the lack of supplies in their hands anymore.

“We are living day by day. We don’t know what’s waiting tomorrow,” Cruz said.

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