Hurricane Maria News

Puerto Rico Declares State of Emergency on Coastal Erosion

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday to fight worsening coastal erosion across the U.S. territory that officials blame on climate change. The government is setting aside $105 million in federal …

Puerto Ricans Await Aid, Fret About Post-Hurricane Recovery

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico (AP) — City worker Carmen Medina walked purposefully through the working-class community of Tranquility Village under a brutal sun, with clipboard, survey forms and pen in hand — part of a small army of officials trying …

Reconstruction Efforts Drag in Puerto Rico 5 Years After Maria

Jetsabel Osorio Chevere looked up with a sad smile as she leaned against her battered home. Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, and no one has offered her family a plastic tarp or zinc …

Major Outage Forces Puerto Rico to Shutter Schools, Offices

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — More than a million customers in Puerto Rico remained without electricity on Thursday after a fire at a main power plant caused the biggest blackout so far this year across the U.S. territory, forcing …

Power Outage Hits 337K in Puerto Rico Amid Growing Outrage

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A sudden power failure left more than 337,000 customers in the dark across Puerto Rico late Wednesday, enraging many who were recovering from a massive outage that hit the U.S. territory just days ago. …

US Official Says Pace of Federal Recovery Funds for Puerto Rico Speeding Up

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The newly appointed U.S. official charged with overseeing disaster recovery in Puerto Rico said Tuesday that while the pace of federally funded projects to help hurricane and earthquake victims has quickened, he’s worried about long …

Displaced Families Await Post-Quake Housing in Puerto Rico

PONCE, Puerto Rico — The Antonetti family sat in the shade of a tree eating orange slices while contemplating the long day ahead of them in a dusty parking lot in southern Puerto Rico. Behind them stood their temporary home: …

Experts: Earthquake Showed Puerto Rico Unprepared for Catastrophe

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — More than two years ago, Hurricane Maria revealed that Puerto Rico was utterly unprepared for a powerful hurricane despite its location in one of the world’s most storm-vulnerable regions. Now, a flurry of earthquakes topped …

Puerto Rico Earthquake Aftermath Deepens as Government Seeks Help

SAN JUAN — More than 2,000 people in shelters. Nearly one million without power. Hundreds of thousands without water. The aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed one person, injured nine others and severely damaged infrastructure in Puerto Rico’s southwest …

Puerto Ricans Left Homeless After Biggest Quake in a Century

GUANICA, Puerto Rico — Cars, cots and plastic chairs became temporary beds for hundreds of families who lost their homes in southwest Puerto Rico as a flurry of earthquakes struck the island, one of them the strongest in a century. …