But PREPA never asked for mutual aid from the association, and instead it hired Whitefish to handle the job.

"Just a matter of the timing," says Ramos. "Hurricane came, all communications went down, our servers were down."

Whitefish then subcontracted Jacksonville Electric Authority and Kissimmee Utility Authority to work with it on transmission system restoration. The firm says it now has about 300 workers on the ground. Even Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski reportedly noted that it's unusual for electrical utilities to work under a contractor.

PREPA's decision to contract Whitefish could be a costly one.

While the Whitefish spokeswoman says it's "not possible at this time to estimate" the cost of completing the work, the hourly wages the firm is reportedly charging for its contracted workers are eye-popping.

"Under the contract, the hourly rate was set at $330 for a site supervisor, and at $227.88 for a 'journeyman lineman,' " The Washington Post reports. "The cost for subcontractors, which make up the bulk of Whitefish's workforce, is $462 per hour for a supervisor and $319.04 for a lineman. Whitefish also charges nightly accommodation fees of $332 per worker and almost $80 per day for food."

UTIER, the electrical workers' union of Puerto Rico, tweeted its consternation at those rates. "We need support and help, but under these conditions it is impossible and questionable. Who allowed this?"

The firm's spokeswoman told NPR that while this is Whitefish's first job in Puerto Rico, the company brings experience in maintaining and repairing transmission lines and working in mountainous regions. A recent project in Washington state included using helicopters in the rebuilding of a distribution line destroyed by forest fire, she said.

Techmanski told Bloomberg that while other utilities "are all afraid of the question of how are we going to get paid, Whitefish Energy was the company that actually made the leap of faith and was able to get over here."

On social media, Whitefish is energetic about its work, posting videos of a crewman dangling from a helicopter with exciting music in the background. But Whitefish also says it's having a hard time accessing work sites because of debris.

PREPA says it has paid Whitefish $2 million so far for its mobilization and work through Oct. 11. At least at the outset, Whitefish's bills will likely be paid with money from FEMA, which on Monday announced more than $215 million in assistance to PREPA. Whitefish could be paid up to $300 million for the work.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told the Post that of the $490 million the commonwealth expects to spend on restoring power, "a large portion of that would probably go to Whitefish" and another contractor.

But Puerto Rico doesn't have money to burn. The commonwealth could run out of money as early as the end of the month, the Post reports.

The House Committee on Natural Resources told NPR Tuesday that it plans to discuss the contract at an upcoming hearing.

"The size and unknown details of this contract raises numerous questions," said Parish Braden, a committee spokesman. "This is one of many things the committee is taking a close look at as it continues to work with the resident commissioner, governor's office, and oversight board to ensure Puerto Rico's recovery is robust, effective and sustained."

Late Tuesday afternoon, Rosselló said he had ordered his Office of Management and Budget to audit the Whitefish contract and others made by PREPA for power restoration.

Contracts, Rosselló said, would have to both meet FEMA's standards and comply with the budget office's audit to ensure "the processes have been carried out correctly in this and other circumstances."

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