Puerto Rico’s power grid has failed again, plunging the island into darkness on New Year’s Eve. Approximately 1.3 million customers lost electricity at 5:30 a.m., with restoration expected to take one to two days. Early reports suggest an underground cable fault as the likely cause, but the full investigation is ongoing.
This blackout is far from an isolated incident. Puerto Rico’s power grid, plagued by neglect and underinvestment, has long been a fragile system, vulnerable to frequent failures. Adding to the crisis, the island’s Caribbean location exposes it to powerful hurricanes that devastate the already fragile energy infrastructure. In 2017, Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc, leaving much of Puerto Rico without power for nearly a year and claiming nearly 3,000 lives.
Now, as another outage disrupts daily life, local leaders are calling for urgent action. Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico’s U.S. congressional representative and incoming governor, voiced her frustration, stating that the island cannot continue enduring such unreliable energy systems. Blackouts this year alone have had significant impacts on Puerto Rico’s economy and quality of life, leaving residents questioning the future.
Despite federal funds provided to rebuild and reinforce the grid, recovery has been sluggish. Challenges in construction and bureaucratic delays in authorizing emergency funds have stymied progress. Mark Levine, Manhattan’s borough president, echoed concerns that the grid still hasn’t recovered from Hurricane Maria’s aftermath.
For many Puerto Ricans, power outages have become a sad part of daily life. Enid Núñez, a local resident, expressed growing frustration over the ongoing instability, highlighting how the lack of investment has only worsened the grid’s already precarious state. The island stands at a breaking point, with its citizens desperate for a solution.
Virtually all of Puerto Rico woke up on New Year's Eve to find there was no electricity, as a power outage hit the U.S. territory.
https://t.co/os8psWt27W— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 31, 2024
"A blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early Tuesday…Officials said it could take up to two days to restore power…Nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients across Puerto Rico were left in the dark…it appears the outage was caused by a failure of an underground power…
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) December 31, 2024
Another video showing everyone what we got to do to bring the power back because the electric grid here in Puerto Rico for years is trash because LUMA sucks. @elonmusk @DonaldJTrumpJr pic.twitter.com/FHCrrgKMFp
— MaverickDaw (@DavidDawsonmav) December 31, 2024
Puerto Rico’s power grid collapses #FMTNews #FMTWorld https://t.co/aIOCIVSYiQ
— Free Malaysia Today (@fmtoday) December 31, 2024
Sources:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/puerto-rico-hit-near-total-174521272.html
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