This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/puerto-rico-earthquake/2020/01/07/0cbe4c92-3143-11ea-9313-6cba89b1b9fb_story.html

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Puerto Rico earthquake Tuesday morning triggers blackout, reports of injuries and at least one dead Puerto Rico earthquake Tuesday morning triggers blackout, reports of injuries and at least one dead
(about 4 hours later)
A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake off Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast early Tuesday morning has triggered a widespread blackout, interrupted telecommunications and sent homeowners scrambling out of collapsing homes in towns near the epicenter. GUÁNICA, P.R.— A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake off Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast early Tuesday morning has triggered a widespread blackout, interrupted telecommunications and sent homeowners scrambling out of collapsing homes in towns near the epicenter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the shaking began about 4:24 a.m. and was followed by intense aftershocks, including a 6.0-magnitude shock wave that also was felt across the U.S. territory. As the sun rose on Puerto Rico, reports of significant damage and injuries were beginning to emerge from areas already impacted by a 5.8-magnitude quake on Monday that destroyed homes and a natural rock formation that was a signature coastal tourist attraction. The Tuesday morning earthquake briefly triggered tsunami-warning sirens and authorities alerted residents that a tsunami was possible — but that warning was later canceled. The U.S. Geological Survey said the shaking began about 4:24 a.m. and was followed by intense aftershocks, including a 6.0-magnitude shock wave that also was felt across the U.S. territory. As the sun rose on Puerto Rico, reports of significant damage and injuries were beginning to emerge from areas already impacted by a 5.8-magnitude quake on Monday that destroyed homes and a natural rock formation that was a signature coastal tourist attraction.
Strong earthquake destroys natural wonder, homes in Puerto Rico townStrong earthquake destroys natural wonder, homes in Puerto Rico town
Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced told government employees to stay home as more aftershocks are expected in the next several days. Emergency personnel are evaluating the damage and inspecting Puerto Rico’s power generation plants — all of which are located along the southern coast near the origin of the seismic activity.Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced told government employees to stay home as more aftershocks are expected in the next several days. Emergency personnel are evaluating the damage and inspecting Puerto Rico’s power generation plants — all of which are located along the southern coast near the origin of the seismic activity.
“There will be other earthquakes, prepare yourselves,” Wanda Vázquez Garced said. “This will continue to happen. For how long? We can’t say.”“There will be other earthquakes, prepare yourselves,” Wanda Vázquez Garced said. “This will continue to happen. For how long? We can’t say.”
The Costa Sur power generation plant, located near the quake’s epicenter, was damaged, and millions of people across the island are without electricity. Authorities said there are 300,000 customers without water service and 255 people have sought refuge in shelters. No major damage was reported to dams and major seaports, and road damage appeared to be limited to local areas in the southern region. The government is working on powering up three “mega-generators” secured in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The Costa Sur power generation plant, located near the quake’s epicenter, was damaged, and millions of people across the island are without electricity. Authorities said there are 300,000 customers without water service. No major damage was reported to dams and major seaports, and road damage appeared to be limited to local areas in the southern region. The government is working on powering up three “mega-generators” secured in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The governor urged residents to remain calm and to stave off panic with preparation.The governor urged residents to remain calm and to stave off panic with preparation.
“You are not alone,” Vázquez Garced said, adding that her government had not yet had direct contact with the White House in Washington. “The central government is here to meet your needs.”“You are not alone,” Vázquez Garced said, adding that her government had not yet had direct contact with the White House in Washington. “The central government is here to meet your needs.”
Gladyra Archilla, a spokesperson for the city of Ponce along the southern coast, confirmed that a 77-year-old man was killed when a wall in his home fell on top of him. Emergency personnel were trying to rescue one other person in that home who was pinned under debris. Archilla said that many local buildings in the city — Puerto Rico’s second-largest — were damaged.Gladyra Archilla, a spokesperson for the city of Ponce along the southern coast, confirmed that a 77-year-old man was killed when a wall in his home fell on top of him. Emergency personnel were trying to rescue one other person in that home who was pinned under debris. Archilla said that many local buildings in the city — Puerto Rico’s second-largest — were damaged.
Puerto Rico electrical authorities reported damage to infrastructure along the southern coast and said they were evaluating substations across the island. Power utility spokeswoman Edith Seda said the system is designed to shut off automatically in the event of vibrations, and the extent of damage to the Costa Sur plant was unclear.Puerto Rico electrical authorities reported damage to infrastructure along the southern coast and said they were evaluating substations across the island. Power utility spokeswoman Edith Seda said the system is designed to shut off automatically in the event of vibrations, and the extent of damage to the Costa Sur plant was unclear.
Seda said crews are working to restore power early in the day if it is safe to do so amid continuing aftershocks. It is possible that certain sectors will see electricity earlier than others; generators are powering the island’s primary hospital, Centro Médico. San Juan’s international airport is operational, officials said.Seda said crews are working to restore power early in the day if it is safe to do so amid continuing aftershocks. It is possible that certain sectors will see electricity earlier than others; generators are powering the island’s primary hospital, Centro Médico. San Juan’s international airport is operational, officials said.
The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico said Tuesday it had approved the use of emergency reserve funds from fiscal years 2019 and 2020 to be used for emergency expenses related to the earthquakes.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was deploying technical experts to work with the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority to restore power as quickly as possible.
The blackout raised fears akin to those after Hurricane Maria in 2017, when areas lost power for weeks and even months.The blackout raised fears akin to those after Hurricane Maria in 2017, when areas lost power for weeks and even months.
“Everything is paralyzed,” said Marcos Irizarry Pagan, the mayor of a southern municipality impacted by the quake, during a live interview on Puerto Rico’s local Telemundo station. “I hope this isn’t like Maria.”“Everything is paralyzed,” said Marcos Irizarry Pagan, the mayor of a southern municipality impacted by the quake, during a live interview on Puerto Rico’s local Telemundo station. “I hope this isn’t like Maria.”
Images of collapsed schools and homes permeated the airwaves and social media in Puerto Rico. The bulk of the damage was in the southern coastal region, from Ponce west to the municipalities of Yauco, Guayanilla, Lajas and Guánica. Residents who are able to travel outside their communities are heading straight for gas stations and grocery stores to stock up on supplies. Images of collapsed schools, homes and churches permeated the airwaves and social media in Puerto Rico. The bulk of the damage was in the southern coastal region, from Ponce west to the municipalities of Yauco, Guayanilla, Lajas and Guánica.
Hundreds of small temblors have been rattling nerves on the island archipelago since Dec. 28, as scientists described the island being “squeezed” between the North America and Caribbean tectonic plates along three different fault lines. The pressure built over time until Puerto Rico’s crust erupted in Tuesday morning’s earthquake, which was the most powerful one near the island since 2014. In the southwestern town of Yauco, 32 houses collapsed. More than 100 apartment units were left uninhabitable, and hundreds of other homes were potentially unsafe, the town’s mayor, Ángel Luis “Luigi” Torres, said. Nearly 400 people were forced to evacuate their homes, and are currently seeking shelter beneath tents in a large parking lot.
USGS geophysicist John Bellini said island residents should expect to experience several strong aftershocks in the 5- and 4- Richter scale range but he said it is unlikely anything stronger than Tuesdays’s earthquake should recur. Tsunamis are not a threat until an earthquake reaches 7.0 magnitude, he said. A local hospital evacuated all 80 of its patients, who were awaiting air-conditioned tents from the National Guard on Tuesday afternoon, Torres said. One 78-year-old resident died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether or not the heart attack was related to the earthquakes, Torres said.
“I understand people are concerned and there was damage, but the 6.4 quake” was the peak of the pressure, Bellini said. “People should stay out of buildings that have been damaged because the aftershocks can cause more destruction.” “We weren’t prepared for something of this magnitude,” the mayor said. “We weren’t even prepared for a hurricane. Now imagine an earthquake.”
During a news conference on Tuesday, the governor said Puerto Rico does not have an earthquake preparedness plan and has not had one updated in 102 years, a reference to the 1918 earthquake and tsunami that killed about 100 people and caused severe damage in the island’s northwesternmost towns. The San Fermin quake registered at a magnitude of 7.3 and had been the most disastrous and deadly earthquake in Puerto Rico’s history. In Guánica, at least 180 people sought shelter at the Coliseum Mariano “Tito” Morales on Monday, after the 5.8 magnitude quake, which struck Puerto Rico the morning of Three Kings Day. But after Tuesday’s earthquake, the coli­seum was evacuated due to fears of damage to the structure, said Zulma Bracero Martínez, the municipality administrator of Guánica.
Ever since, families have been waiting in the coliseum’s parking lot.
Among them was Noelia De Jesús, a 69-year-old woman who stood in the middle of the lot with her husband, Francisco Ramos, a 72-year-old man who uses a wheelchair.
The couple sought refuge after a house in front of theirs collapsed in Monday’s tremor. Feeling unsafe in their home, Ramos and De Jesús boarded a bus to the coli­seum. But then, at 4:24 a.m. Tuesday, the 6.4 magnitude quake sent lightbulbs from the building’s ceiling crashing onto the floor. De Jesús lost her balance. A stroller toppled with her granddaughter inside.
“I though we were going to die,” De Jesús said.
The tremors were unlike anything Ramos had experienced in his more than 40 years in Guánica.
“I hadn’t seen anything like this,” he said.
For both of them, the situation brings back terrible memories. After Hurricane María, the couple lived in a shelter for almost a year. Their home suffered damages nearly two decades earlier, when Hurricane George ravaged the island.
“It’s been so hard,” De Jesús said.
Hundreds of small temblors have been rattling nerves on the island archipelago since Dec. 28. as scientists described the island being “squeezed” by two major faults known as subduction zones, where tectonic plates dive beneath one another. The biggest of those subduction zones is to the north of the island and could potentially deliver a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or greater.
The two earthquakes this week happened on an unmapped offshore “intraplate” fault just south of the island, according to Gavin Hayes, a U.S. Geological Survey research scientist. The epicenters were just a few miles apart. This was a relatively unusual “foreshock sequence,” in which a moderate earthquake was followed by a major one.
It’s possible, though unlikely, that both earthquakes could prove to be foreshocks of an even more violent event. This unstable fault has generated 23 magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes in recent weeks. The USGS calculates that there is a 9 percent chance of a magnitude 6.4 or greater tremor along the fault over the next week, and a 22 percent chance of a magnitude 6 or higher.
Still, USGS geophysicist John Bellini said the 6.4 quake was “the peak of the pressure.” He cautioned residents to stay out of buildings, as aftershocks can cause more destruction.
While the Tuesday morning earthquake briefly triggered tsunami-warning sirens, Bellini said tsunamis are not a threat until an earthquake reaches 7.0 magnitude.
During a news conference on Tuesday, the governor said Puerto Rico does not have an earthquake preparedness plan and has not had one updated in 102 years, a reference to the 1918 earthquake and tsunami that killed about 100 people and caused severe damage in the island’s northwesternmost towns.
The San Fermin quake registered at a magnitude of 7.3 and had been the most disastrous and deadly earthquake in Puerto Rico’s history. Tuesday’s earthquake was the most powerful one near the island since 2014.
Vázquez Garced said the government recently hired a firm to prepare such a plan.Vázquez Garced said the government recently hired a firm to prepare such a plan.
Local officials are worried that the unusually strong seismic activity has caught the U.S. territory off guard. The vast majority of public school buildings and thousands of homes, particularly in rural areas where construction is more informal, do not comply with current building codes, according to Puerto Rico state Sen. Ramon Luis Nieves.Local officials are worried that the unusually strong seismic activity has caught the U.S. territory off guard. The vast majority of public school buildings and thousands of homes, particularly in rural areas where construction is more informal, do not comply with current building codes, according to Puerto Rico state Sen. Ramon Luis Nieves.
Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who chairs the committee that oversees U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, urged the Trump administration to release remaining federal disaster recovery funds from Hurricane Maria and deliver new aid without delay.Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who chairs the committee that oversees U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, urged the Trump administration to release remaining federal disaster recovery funds from Hurricane Maria and deliver new aid without delay.
“The Trump administration’s indifference and incompetence have already cost residents of Puerto Rico their lives and their livelihoods, and continuing that pattern now is completely unacceptable,” Grijalva said in a statement. “I urge this administration to remember that lives are at stake and the public is watching.”“The Trump administration’s indifference and incompetence have already cost residents of Puerto Rico their lives and their livelihoods, and continuing that pattern now is completely unacceptable,” Grijalva said in a statement. “I urge this administration to remember that lives are at stake and the public is watching.”
On Monday, an ancient rock formation that adorned the background of countless vacation photos, Instagram posts and selfies tumbled into the ocean off the U.S. territory’s southwestern coast after an unusually strong earthquake shook the island and damaged more than a dozen homes.
The 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the coastal municipalities of Guayanilla and Guánica about 6:35 a.m., sending families racing out of their homes as the structures collapsed beneath them. More than a dozen homes suffered severe damage and a local road caved in throughout the area. No injuries were reported on Monday but that could change as local mayors and emergency personnel fan out into their communities.
Sin Luz: Life without power after Hurricane MariaSin Luz: Life without power after Hurricane Maria
Punta Ventana, or Window Point, rewarded tourists to Puerto Rico’s southern coast with a stunning frame for ocean views, with its rocky sea cliff and a hollowed-out “eye” carved by the cerulean blue waters of the Caribbean over millennia. The natural wonder has been a source of pride for residents of Guayanilla, whose mayor adopted the landmark as part of a new logo and slogan: “La Nueva Ventana al Caribe: The New Window to the Caribbean.”
“We’ve lost an important symbol of our town and our natural heritage,” said Guayanilla Mayor Nelson Torres Yordán. “Playa Ventana is iconic to this region and a priceless beautiful resource for a community that has suffered greatly in recent years.”
Town officials said they had been monitoring the rock formation during two weeks of seismic activity that triggered hundreds of small temblors that shook loose gravel and rock that formed the “window’s” top curve, which people used to climb to gain a view from atop the narrow rock bridge.
The sequence of shallow-depth earthquakes originated offshore, but they could be felt across the main island. The intensity of the tremors has ratcheted up in recent months but caused little more than heart palpitations across the island until Tuesday.
Puerto Rico after Maria: Residents see a failure at all levels of governmentPuerto Rico after Maria: Residents see a failure at all levels of government
Residents packed a town hall this week, expressing fears that the power grid — still fragile after Hurricane Maria’s devastation in 2017 — could fail again and that water service could remain interminably interrupted for many barrios, the mayor said. On Monday, an ancient rock formation tumbled into the ocean off the U.S. territory’s southwestern coast. The natural wonder known as Punta Ventana, or Window Point, had been a source of pride and tourism for residents of Guayanilla.
“We are not okay,” said Torres Yordán, who is asking residents to refresh their emergency plans and identify rendezvous points for family. “We’ve been told that the earthquakes will continue for at least several more days.” Local authorities in Guanayilla do not expect the bankrupt central government to be much help. Painful memories haunt Guayanilla officials who have asked the state to provide psychological counseling for residents who are still traumatized by Hurricane Maria and its aftermath.
Vázquez Garced visited the city Monday evening, but local authorities do not expect the bankrupt central government to be much help. Painful memories haunt Guayanilla officials who have asked the state to provide psychological counseling for residents who are still traumatized by Hurricane Maria and its aftermath. Guayanilla is one of dozens of local municipalities struggling to recover structurally and economically from the Category 4 hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico. Pounding rain in the central mountains caused flash flooding that bloated rivers downstream and inundated the urban center of the municipality. Guayanilla officials estimated there are about 50 families in the municipality that still live under blue tarps because of damage from Maria.
Guayanilla is one of dozens of local municipalities struggling to recover structurally and economically from the Category 4 hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico. Pounding rain in the central mountains caused flash flooding that bloated rivers downstream and inundated the urban center of the municipality. Hernández estimated there are about 50 families in the municipality that still live under blue tarps because of damage from Maria. Joel Achenbach and Jeff Stein contributed reporting from Washington.