outside people are called in. In the continental US, utility companies have mutual agreements that bring crews and equipment in from all over the country, if needed. We had a convoy of utility trucks with cherry pickers and cranes head down to Texas from Minnesota to help restore power.
Powerline work is skilled work, and dangerous work. Working on high-voltage main lines and even service lines requires a lot of safety training and established routines to prevent electrocution deaths. Existing crews and equipment in any area are inadequate when there is massive damage. In Puerto Rico, there is no road available to get trucks and crews from the continental US there. It is going to require a contractor with the capacity to move in and get the restoration job done in any sort of timely way. There is no way that locals can be recruited, trained and supplied with the necessary equipment required.
So, some company with adequate equipment and crews needed to be hired. Was that company the right one? I have no idea, but there is a stink around how the contract was awarded. But it's not just a matter of hiring a bunch of local workers. Everyone needs to be a thoroughly trained powerline worker, and specialized equipment in large numbers will also be needed.
As for Elon Musk's plan to bring in his Power Wall technology, that's all well and good, but supplying an entire island with 4 million people with that will take years to accomplish, and Puerto Rico does not have years to get electrical power up and running. Not in any way at all.
People are misunderstanding the scope of the work, equipment, supplies, and training that is needed to restore power after a natural disaster. Otherwise they would never suggest that it could be done with internal PR resources..
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