Power slowly returns to Puerto Rico after sudden islandwide blackout
Approximately 47% of customers in Puerto Rico have had their power restored after an islandwide outage Wednesday that affected 1.4 million.
Approximately 47% of customers in Puerto Rico have had their power restored after an islandwide outage Wednesday that affected 1.4 million.
Power company LUMA said more than 689,000 customers have had power as of 8:45 a.m. Thursday.
The blackout that hit around 12:40 p.m. Wednesday also left more than 300,000 people without water, snarled traffic and caused businesses to close, all during Holy Week.
It was the second sweeping power outage to rock the island in less than four months, with the last one unfolding on New Year’s Eve.
A tourist couple use their cellphones for light on a street in Old San Juan during a massive power blackout Wednesday night. Jose Jimenez / Getty ImagesPuerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said in a press conference Wednesday that she was told the outage was due to the transmission of power, not generators. She noted that every day that goes by without electricity, the island’s economy loses $230 million.
Rating: 5