COLUMBUS (WCMH) — As Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico Wednesday, those with loved ones on the island anxiously waited for the next phone call.

For Ingrid Placeres, that waiting is what’s most difficult.

“I feel helpless,” says Placeres, who moved to Columbus from Puerto Rico about 20 years ago, when she was just 10 years old. “I wish I could do more. Everyone is down there. It’s just me and my sister here.”

Her father Gregorio also lives in Columbus but went to Puerto Rico last week to visit his homeland to celebrate his 60^th birthday. Once Hurricane Maria was heading toward the island, Gregorio could not get a flight back and had to ride out the storm while staying with family. Ingrid last heard from him around 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Her mother last tried to contact her from Puerto Rico on Monday.

For now, waiting to hear from them may not be the most difficult option, but also the only option.

“I’ve texted everybody,” she says. “I’ve looked on Facebook to see if anybody’s posted any pictures but my family has been silent since between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.”

Late Wednesday afternoon, Ingrid told NBC4’s Matt Edwards she did hear from an uncle and some cousins but was waiting to hear from the rest of her family.