BLACKOUT: Puerto Rico Hit By Island Wide Power Outage

news image
Special Stories
18 Apr 2018 10:25 AM
Yet another set-back for an already weary island. On Wednesday, Puerto Rico suffered from an island-wide black out. The power grid was already unstable after Hurricane Maria more than seven months ago. Officials are unaware of what caused the temporary power failure, but estimate it will take 24-36 hours to restore. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority said the priority for restoring service will be to hospitals, Luis Muñoz Marín Airport, AAA pumping systems and banking centers. https://twitter.com/AEEONLINE/status/986629907680841729 This comes just one week after more than 800,000 customers lost power when a tree branch fell on a power line. Nearly half of the agency's clients were impacted. https://twitter.com/AEEONLINE/status/984506943984173056 Nearly seven months after Hurricane Maria lashed Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 storm, some 40,000 Puerto Ricans were still without regular power service. That said, Puerto Rico is slowly getting back closer to pre-storm conditions in other respects, however. More than 99 percent of Puerto Ricans have running water, all of the island's postal service offices have re-opened, 92 percent of supermarkets have reopened and 88 percent of gas stations are back up and running. An estimated 200,000 or more people fled Puerto Rico after Maria, with the overwhelming majority of those moving to Florida. The lack of power to parts of Puerto Rico is of potential increasing concern as we get closer to the start of 2018 hurricane season. The first outlooks for the season have already been released, and the possibility of more storms will return to the area in the next few months. Stay with WeatherNation as we continue to track Maria's impact on Puerto Rico and the ongoing cleanup efforts there. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Those who are interested in helping out residents of Puerto Rico should consider a monetary donation. The Red Cross continues to support those recovering from the storm. Click the link to make a charitable donation. There are several other organizations that will accept contributions for continuing support, not only in Puerto Rico but other areas affected by this devastating hurricane season. Here are a few of those: MariaFund.org , Fund for the Virgin Islands , Unidos por Puerto Rico,  Unidos by the Hispanic FederationDominica ReliefAmericCares, and so many more. We encourage you to check your local area for continued relief efforts.
All Weather News
More
Severe Storm Threat Through Sunday for the South

Severe Storm Threat Through Sunday for the South

Storms are returning for yet another weekend

9 Dec 2023 4:15 AM
Wet Weekend Forecast for the East Coast

Wet Weekend Forecast for the East Coast

Rain and snow are on the way for the East Coa

9 Dec 2023 4:05 AM
Aquarium Saves Turtles Suffering from Cold

Aquarium Saves Turtles Suffering from Cold

As temperatures drop across the Northeast a l

9 Dec 2023 4:00 AM
"Snow Drought" Threatening Western U.S.

"Snow Drought" Threatening Western U.S.

After a record setting 2022-23 winter season

9 Dec 2023 3:25 AM
More Rain this Weekend in the PNW

More Rain this Weekend in the PNW

The Northwestern United States has been hamme

8 Dec 2023 11:20 PM
Wind & Snow Hit the High Plains Tonight

Wind & Snow Hit the High Plains Tonight

The next winter storm is underway in the Nort

8 Dec 2023 11:15 PM
Snow Hits Colorado & Utah Today

Snow Hits Colorado & Utah Today

Steady rain for the northern California coast

8 Dec 2023 6:10 PM