Almost 600 quakes of all magnitudes up to a 6.5 have struck Puerto Rico in the last 7 days and a further 1,500 since Dec 28th 2019.
Some in Puerto Rico are beginning to fear the ground will never stop shaking. The island has been pummeled by hundreds of earthquakes in recent weeks, including Saturday’s 5.9 magnitude temblor, where there were reports of landslides in the town of Peñuelas along the southern coast, rattling residents already on edge from last Tuesday’s massive 6.4 magnitude quake. That was the largest to strike the island in more than a century causing hundreds of structures to crumble, forcing thousands from their homes and leaving millions without power.
Some in Puerto Rico are beginning to fear the ground will never stop shaking. The island has been pummeled by hundreds of earthquakes in recent weeks, including Saturday’s 5.9 magnitude temblor, where there were reports of landslides in the town of Peñuelas along the southern coast, rattling residents already on edge from last Tuesday’s massive 6.4 magnitude quake. That was the largest to strike the island in more than a century causing hundreds of structures to crumble, forcing thousands from their homes and leaving millions without power.
Puerto Rico’s public utility, PREPA, tweeted some welcome news Monday: that nearly all of the homes and businesses it serves have had electric power restored. Still, it is urging customers to conserve energy. Reporting from the port city of Ponce, NPR’s Adrian Florido said the Costa Sur Plant, which produces more than 40% of Puerto Rico’s electricity, was badly damaged in last week’s quake. It remains offline indefinitely. He also reports many residents are still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, a deadly Category 4 storm that battered the island in September 2017. The storm exposed the fact that buildings across the island were not up to code. The series of earthquakes are only amplifying fears that structures have been further weakened. wmfe.org
Thousands still sleeping outside
Puerto Rico's recovery following the devastating Hurricane Maria was slow and uneven. And then last week, the largest earthquake to hit the island in a century made things worse. Thousands of people in Puerto Rico are sleeping outdoors nearly a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island. The fear of aftershocks as people in tents or under tarps. NPR's Adrian Florido reports from Puerto Rico's southern coast. npr.org
Puerto Rico's recovery following the devastating Hurricane Maria was slow and uneven. And then last week, the largest earthquake to hit the island in a century made things worse. Thousands of people in Puerto Rico are sleeping outdoors nearly a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island. The fear of aftershocks as people in tents or under tarps. NPR's Adrian Florido reports from Puerto Rico's southern coast. npr.org
According to USGS, more than 4,000 small to mid-sized quakes have rattled the tiny island of Purto Rico since January the 1st 2019.
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