HUMACAO, Puerto Rico -- Thousands of families in Puerto Rico to this day don't know when their power will come back.

Spectrum News' Paula Machado went up the mountains in Humacao, in the southeastern part of the island, to meet one couple still living in the dark.

"Last week, (they said) they would come this week. This week they didn't come," said Don Julio Sánchez about his frustration with the power company.

His house, small but seemingly spacious, is filled with fans that aren't running. 

"I was born and raised here," the 88-year-old man said as he gave our crew a tour of his home.

"Over there was an orange tree," he pointed to his backyard. "And that one right there is an avocado tree. They're starting to grow again because (Hurricane) Maria took them all."

Inside, his wife, Juanita, is reading a Spanish magazine with royal wedding pictures on the cover.

"You have to be royalty for a wedding like that," Juanita laughed.

Because there's no TV, Juanita spends most of her time reading or talking with neighbors.

Meanwhile, Don Julio showed our crew the house's three small bedrooms, even offering one in case we wanted to stay.

Then, he pulled out his guitar and started serenading with Puerto Rican songs.

How has the couple survived without power for the past nine months?

Inside their fridge, food is rotting from the heat.

"It's not working properly," said Don Julio as picks at the food. "I don't know, because of the electricity, possibly."

A neighbor brings them ice every day, which they pour in a cooler outside. That's where they keep cold water and meats for the day.

Don Julio then showed us his roof, damaged from Hurricane Maria.

"This house is stronger than a guava fruit," he laughed.

He recalls the night of the hurricane. It sounded like a roaring animal for the first couple of hours. He couldn't believe his house didn't have more damage. 

Now, Don Julio and his wife wonder why it's taken so long to get power back on. 

"They keep telling us it was November... January... March... and they keep postponing and postponing, and there's nothing you can say for sure," Don Julio says.

Without power, the couple is at the mercy of others.

"You know, (we're) trying to survive by the help of people and the neighbors," he said.

People who care, like Javier Camacho, earlier that day showed Spectrum News how he learned to build solar-powered generators from his garage in Toa Baja. 

Camacho heard about the couple and drove down to install a solar-powered generator, strong enough to run their fans, lights and TV. 

The minute the lights came on, Don Julio yelled, "Throw out the candles, we have light!"