In this March 13, 2019 photo, members of Project OWL, which stands for Organization, Whereabouts, and Logistics, conduct a field test in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Young tech developers are roving Puerto Rico with laptops, transmitters and drones to test new systems that might help survivors communicate with authorities after a natural disaster and speed up response times to minimize deaths. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
ISABELA, Puerto Rico: In the dark and isolating days after Hurricane Maria, people across Puerto Rico invented new ways to communicate: Elderly couples in need of food or water would raise a flag at their home.
Neighbours created amateur security systems, banging on pots for a minute each night to mark the start of a curfew after which any human noise would be considered a call for help.
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