Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Puerto Ricans Sleep Outside, Wait for Power After 'Devastating' Quake

Reuters

   SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - Many Puerto Ricans woke up on Wednesday to a
   second day without electricity after the island's worst earthquake in
   over a century knocked out its biggest power plant, collapsed homes and
   killed at least one person.
   Puerto Rico's schools were closed on Wednesday and all public employees
   except police and health workers stayed home as engineers checked the
   safety of buildings after Tuesday's 6.4 magnitude quake and powerful
   aftershocks.
   Some Puerto Ricans in the hard-hit south of the island moved beds
   outside on Tuesday night and slept outdoors, fearful their homes would
   crumble if another earthquake hit after a week of tremors, governor
   Wanda Vázquez told reporters.
   Nearly all of the island's more than 3 million people lost power and
   only 100,000 customers had energy by late Tuesday night, according to
   the AEE electricity authority.
   The agency scrambled to restart power plants that automatically shut
   down for safety during the quake. The large
   Costa Sur plant suffered "severe damage" and was put out of service,
   Vázquez said after declaring a state of emergency.
   Power should return to most of the island within 24 to 48 hours, so
   long as there are no more quakes, she said.
   "All of Puerto Rico has seen the devastation of this earthquake," said
   Vázquez, who took office in August after
   Ricardo Rossello stepped down in the face of massive street protests
   against his administration.
   Around 750 people spent the night in shelters in southern towns hit
   hardest by the earthquake, the government reported.

.