LOIZA, Puerto Rico - Captain Kevin Polito left his Salvation Army post in Milford to help with Hurricane Fiona relief efforts in Puerto Rico. 

He got to Loiza Wednesday morning. It's a beach community on the northern part of the island where they were hit with a heavy storm surge.

"When we first turned on the street, there was evidence of water level marks on some of the structures," Polito said. "It looked to be almost five, six feet of water they probably had."

Polito said Hurricane Fiona's winds didn't do the most damage, instead it was the heavy rain. Some areas received 24 inches of rain, which caused flooding and mudslides. 

"People sometimes think that flooding isn't as impactful, but I would argue it is even more so because the water comes in, it impacts everything," Polito said. "It ruins everything with lingering impacts that go on afterwards."

Polito has been to several communities, each one at a different stage of recovery. Most areas he's been to have power, but others have yet to have it restored. 

"We were driving into town and none of the stop lights worked," he said. "There was no electricity anywhere. There was police directing traffic."

Others communities, like the capital city of San Juan, are working towards long-term recovery. 

"They have a soup kitchen running in their gym," Polito said. "The capital has more resources. It wasn't impacted as much, so they are already transitioning back to their normal programing they do."

Polito is there for a 12-day deployment, handing out meals and water to people who need it. He said while most people are dealing with damage to their homes, they’re grateful for the help. 

"There was already 75 to 100 people waiting for us to arrive," Polito said. "When they saw our shield, our trademark and knew who we were, they erupted in like spontaneous applause and cheers which was just heartwarming."