They've just survived another hurricane season, and now they're feeling the earth shake under them in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Early this morning, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the southern coast of the island, with a number of strong aftershocks following, collapsing some buildings and killing one man in Ponce. Electricity was interrupted across the island as power plants shut down as a precautionary measure:
"Puerto Rico’s governor, Wanda Vásquez, declared a state of emergency and activated the territory’s National Guard. She said some 300,000 households remained without running water by late Tuesday afternoon, and several hundred people were in shelters in affected municipalities. She said she had not spoken to President Donald Trump by late morning. [snip]A separate 5.8 magnitude quake hit in the same area early Monday morning causing damage to buildings in the southern town of Guayanilla. Puerto Rico has experienced a number of quakes since December 28 off its southern coast. Puerto Rico sits atop some tectonic plate boundaries (as does regional neighbor Haiti), but has not experienced a catastrophic earthquake since a 7.3 magnitude quake hit the northwest coast in October 1918.
Eight people were injured in Ponce, Mayor Mayita Meléndez told WAPA television. Hundreds of people sat in the streets of the city, some cooking food on barbeque grills, afraid to return home for fear of structural damage and aftershocks."
(photo: Damage in Guayanilla, courtesy Belisa Rivera Negron)
