Half Of Puerto Rico Just Lost Power Amid Hurricane Ernesto

The latest blackout is likely to inflame the political blowback against utility LUMA Energy.

Half of Puerto Rico lost electricity Wednesday as the Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane off the northern coast of the United States’ most populous overseas territory.

Nearly 84% of San Juan still had electricity around 4 p.m. as heavy rainfall lashed the island.

But in Carolina, the municipality bordering the sprawling capital city to the east, almost 80% of households lost power, according to data from the utility LUMA Energy.

In Mayaguez, Ernesto’s winds of up to 75 miles per hour proved powerful enough to plunge 76% of the west coast hub into darkness, with the percentage ticking upward throughout Wednesday afternoon. The blackouts on the south coast in Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second-largest city, and in Caguas, the municipality in the central mountain range, followed a similar trajectory, with no less than 67% of households losing service.

In total, the share of Puerto Rico without power fell a slim fraction of one percentage point shy of 50% on Wednesday afternoon. LUMA said in a statement posted on X that its personnel “will conduct field inspections as soon as it is safe for our crews to go into the field to identify damage and begin repairs.”