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| Puerto Rico Governor Declares Emergency After New 6.4 Earthquake | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| MIAMI — The strongest tremor yet in a week of heavy seismic activity rocked Puerto Rico early on Tuesday morning, knocking out power to much of the island, seriously damaging homes and buildings and leaving at least one person dead. | MIAMI — The strongest tremor yet in a week of heavy seismic activity rocked Puerto Rico early on Tuesday morning, knocking out power to much of the island, seriously damaging homes and buildings and leaving at least one person dead. |
| The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, declared a state of emergency throughout Puerto Rico and activated the National Guard. | |
| “In 102 years, Puerto Rico had not experienced anything like this,” she said. | |
| The 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck five miles southwest of Tallaboa on Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast, was recorded at 4:24 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was the second consecutive day that an earthquake hit the island before dawn, terrifying residents scared about the cumulative effect on older buildings that may be unsafe. | The 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck five miles southwest of Tallaboa on Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast, was recorded at 4:24 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was the second consecutive day that an earthquake hit the island before dawn, terrifying residents scared about the cumulative effect on older buildings that may be unsafe. |
| The governor warned that the seismic activity is expected to continue in the coming days, as most of the island struggles with the massive power outage. A power plant in the south suffered significant damage, she said. The outage also left nearly a third of the island without running water. | |
| The governor warned people whose houses do not meet building codes to seek shelter. About 255 people were already staying in shelters on Tuesday. | |
| “There is nothing to indicate from the experts who know these types of disasters that this is going to be bigger than what we have seen so far, but yes we will have repetitions and tremors that we will be feeling,” Ms. Vázquez said. “This is going to be happening for the next few days. How long? We cannot predict.” | |
| Nelson Martínez Guillén, 73, died in the city of Ponce after a wall fell on him, Mayor Mayita Meléndez said. Another woman suffered a broken leg after she was pinned under a wall. | Nelson Martínez Guillén, 73, died in the city of Ponce after a wall fell on him, Mayor Mayita Meléndez said. Another woman suffered a broken leg after she was pinned under a wall. |
| “The people are scared,” Ms. Meléndez said. “There are homes that are totally destroyed.” | “The people are scared,” Ms. Meléndez said. “There are homes that are totally destroyed.” |
| Tremors keep moving through the region and people living near the beaches are desperate to get out of their homes for fear of tsunamis, she said. | Tremors keep moving through the region and people living near the beaches are desperate to get out of their homes for fear of tsunamis, she said. |
| “It’s not safe,” Ms. Meléndez said. “The earth is moving constantly.” | “It’s not safe,” Ms. Meléndez said. “The earth is moving constantly.” |
| A 60-year-old city employee begged for help from the mainland. | A 60-year-old city employee begged for help from the mainland. |
| Reynaldo González, the late Mr. Martínez’s nephew, told local news media that the apartment, in the Jardines del Caribe neighborhood, was undergoing construction work, and the bathroom wall next to Mr. Martínez’s bed collapsed on him as he was apparently getting up, Mr. Gónzalez told WAPA Radio. | Reynaldo González, the late Mr. Martínez’s nephew, told local news media that the apartment, in the Jardines del Caribe neighborhood, was undergoing construction work, and the bathroom wall next to Mr. Martínez’s bed collapsed on him as he was apparently getting up, Mr. Gónzalez told WAPA Radio. |
| “We heard a roar” at the time of the quake, Mr. González said, but it was not until later, when his father called out to Mr. Martínez, that they realized what had happened. | “We heard a roar” at the time of the quake, Mr. González said, but it was not until later, when his father called out to Mr. Martínez, that they realized what had happened. |
| Angel Vázquez Torres, the director of emergency management in Ponce, said nine people were injured in the city during the earthquake, including a woman who was trapped in her home for three hours after a wall collapsed on her, pinning her leg. | |
| “This has been very difficult,” he said. “No one can prepare for a disaster like this.” | |
| Mr. Torres said he had slept less than four hours in the last two days. | |
| There is no electricity in the city and some parts of Ponce are without water, he said. “There are tremors happening at this very moment.” | |
| The widespread power outages included San Juan, the capital. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority said all of its power plants had gone offline after its “auto protection” systems had been activated. The utility said it hoped to restore electricity elsewhere later on Tuesday. | |
| The United States National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no related tsunami threat. The local authorities initially issued a tsunami watch before canceling it, according to Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency. | The United States National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no related tsunami threat. The local authorities initially issued a tsunami watch before canceling it, according to Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency. |
| The quake’s magnitude was initially reported as 6.6 and later downgraded. Three strong aftershocks with preliminary estimates of 5.6, 5.2 and 4.5 magnitude followed the big quake. A bigger aftershock, of 5.8 magnitude, hit at 7:18 a.m. local time. | The quake’s magnitude was initially reported as 6.6 and later downgraded. Three strong aftershocks with preliminary estimates of 5.6, 5.2 and 4.5 magnitude followed the big quake. A bigger aftershock, of 5.8 magnitude, hit at 7:18 a.m. local time. |
| Governor Vázquez excused nonessential public employees from work for the day. Mayor Nelson Torres Yordán of Guayanilla said on the radio that there was a lot of fear on the streets. “There’s hysteria,” he told a local television station. | |
| The Immaculate Conception church in the center of town partially collapsed. The church survived a massive quake in 1918 with some damage, the Rev. Melvin Díaz Aponte said. This time, both bell towers crumbled. The nave stands, but it is fragile. | |
| The last Mass held on Monday took place outside in the courtyard because Monday’s quake made people nervous to be inside. On Tuesday, the courtyard was full of debris. | |
| “For those who have lived here their whole lives, this is their history,” Father Díaz said. “Their sacraments, their wedding.” | “For those who have lived here their whole lives, this is their history,” Father Díaz said. “Their sacraments, their wedding.” |
| A 4.8-magnitude aftershock interrupted him. Then a member of the congregation came up to say hello. | |
| “We will rebuild,” he reassured the woman. | |
| Puerto Ricans ran out of their homes before dawn after being shaken awake by the quake. Officials urged people to stay calm and remain at home, but many people still got into their cars and drove to higher ground, prompting unusually heavy traffic in some areas in the dark. Many homes and buildings in southern coastal towns partially crumbled or sustained serious damage. | |
| Hospital patients, some of them in wheelchairs, were evacuated to a parking lot in the city of Ponce. Patients at Hospital Damas were going back into the building when the biggest aftershock hit, forcing them to evacuate again, the NotiCentro television station reported. | Hospital patients, some of them in wheelchairs, were evacuated to a parking lot in the city of Ponce. Patients at Hospital Damas were going back into the building when the biggest aftershock hit, forcing them to evacuate again, the NotiCentro television station reported. |
| Around Puerto Rico, police officials begged for help. | |
| “Please pray a lot,” Adeli Quiñones, an agent with the police command center in Aibonito said. “We’re supposed to be providing security for people but we’re also scared for our own families.” | |
| Ms. Quiñones said much of the island is without light and people are trying to buy tickets out of Puerto Rico, or heading inland, away from threatened buildings. | |
| “We’re all just waiting for the next one,” she said. | |
| Angel Ramos, a police officer in Mayagüez, said no one had been injured in the city and buildings appeared to be intact. Still, residents were flooding supermarkets trying to stock up on water and food. | |
| “They’re getting ready,” he said. | |
| On Monday, a 5.8-magnitude quake and aftershocks terrified residents, leveled homes and destroyed a well-known natural rock formation. Smaller tremors have been occurring since the night of Dec. 28 and into the morning, all clustered in the same offshore area. | On Monday, a 5.8-magnitude quake and aftershocks terrified residents, leveled homes and destroyed a well-known natural rock formation. Smaller tremors have been occurring since the night of Dec. 28 and into the morning, all clustered in the same offshore area. |
| Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, Jenniffer González, noted that the preparations from the earlier quake this week saved lives — classes were canceled at schools, some of which went on to collapse. | |
| “We all got scared,” she said. “We all felt it.” | |
| Glenda Colón, 44, from the town of Juncos, went to town with her family to get supplies, and wound up on the street. She said the sound of shaking storm doors on local business was frightening. | |
| “I felt the bed moving from side to side,” Ms. Colón said. “I was with the baby and the little dog and we felt the car move from side to side.” | |
| “Everything’s good,” Ms. Colón added. “Nervous.” | |
| Dariane Torres, 29, who lives in Penuelas, said the earth moved like gelatin. | |
| “The tremors were too strong,” she said. “They were so strong that they gave me panic attacks.” | |
| Marcos Pagán, 31, of Lajas, watched the quake from the seashore, where he operates a water taxi. | |
| “It felt horrible,” he said. “I thought it was the end of the world.” | |
| Patricia Mazzei reported from Miami, and Maria Cramer from New York. Alejandra Rosa contributed reporting from San Juan, P.R., and Daniel Victor contributed reporting from Hong Kong. |