Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, has asked people abroad worrying about their families to remain calm and be patient as the island continues to confront the crisis left in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

But nearly a week after the storm hit, many Puerto Ricans on the mainland are still struggling to reach their relatives, often resorting to extreme measures and relying on a combination of strangers and technology to help get messages to family members.

Laura Virella, 36, an opera singer from San Juan who is based part-time in New York, has been helping people get in touch with relatives. On Tuesday morning, she had yet to speak directly to her parents or her 98-year-old grandmother, who were still on the island. She sent dozens of messages to strangers, searching for a way to make contact.

Eventually, she messaged someone she had found through a Facebook group who had a relative near where her family was in Trujillo Alto, southeast of San Juan. The relative was able to film a video of Ms. Virella’s mother, who is 65, though it took an additional 12 hours to upload the clip. Finally, on Saturday, the singer learned that her family was safe.