Puerto Rico has gone dark as millions in the US territory were affected by a power outage amid the Easter holiday weekend. This is the second time this year that the whole island suffered such a massive power outage, the first one being on New Year’s Eve. This is leading to anger against Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González as well as power generation and distribution companies Luma and Genera PR.
Many Puerto Ricans took to streets to protest frequent power cuts.
Gonzalez was away when the outage happened, and faced criticism for being ‘missing in action.’
Trump comes under fire after comedian calls Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage’ at his rally
Luma Energy, the distribution company, said it might take up to three days to restore power fully. It blamed the outage on a fault that led to safety protocols kicking in.
Panic on the streets after Puerto Rico loses power again
Only a handful of power plants were back in action by late Wednesday (Apr 16).
According to officials, only 7 per cent of the 1.6 million customers got back power.
There were protests and traffic jams on Puerto Rico’s roads.
Puerto Rico is not voting in US presidential elections but has Trump and Harris on ballot. Here’s why
Residents panicked to buy emergency generators.
Many lined up at ot gas stations for fuel. In the capital of San Juan trains were stopped, with passengers seen walking their way out.
Puerto Rico residents are annoyed at blackout ahead of Easter festivities
The mostly Catholic island was particularly outraged as the blackout hit when people were preparing for the Easter weekend and Good Friday festivities.
Puerto Rico suffers island-wide power blackout hours before New Year
Many Puerto Ricans took to social media, asking the government to end contracts with power generation and discom firms Luma Energy and Genera PR.
Authorities traced the problem to a transmission line fault that may have led to the shutdown of power as part of a safety protocol.
The power may not be restored till Thursday
More than 1.1 million out of the 1.5 million electricity customers were without power, said Luma Energy..
Governor González said her agencies were “working diligently” to resolve problem.
Not the first time: The New Year’s Eve blackout of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has faced frequent power blackouts in recent times.
‘Will shut off electricity completely’: Ontario’s Doug Ford warns US after Trump doubles tariffs
The last worst one hit on New Year’s Eve this year. That time also, more than 1 million people were without power.
Electricity crews worked through the night and day to restore power, which had been gone for more than 12 hours.
Initially, nearly half of LUMA customers, or some 700,000, got power back.
Apart from homes, several hospitals, and essential amenity facilities like water, were affected
Puerto Rico has been facing power grid issues since 2017, when Hurricane Maria hit the island and knocked off much of its power lines.