Power restored in Puerto Rico nearly 5 days after blackout
ABC News
A private company says power has been fully restored to Puerto Rico’s 1.5 million customers nearly five days after a fire at a main power plant sparked an island-wide power outage
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A private company announced Monday that power had been fully restored to Puerto Rico’s almost 1.5 million customers nearly five days after a fire at a main power plant sparked an island-wide blackout and prompted public schools and government agencies to close.
Officials are now focused on investigating what exactly caused the failure of a circuit breaker at a substation within the Costa Sur power plant in southern Puerto Rico, one of four main plants in the U.S. territory.
“I know many in Puerto Rico are asking, ‘How is it that this happened?’” said Wayne Stensby, CEO of Luma, a company that took over transmission and distribution for the Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority last year. “There’s no question the electricity grid in Puerto Rico is incredibly fragile.”
The blackout outraged and worried many on the island of 3.2 million people, including those who cannot afford generators and have medical conditions including diabetes and respiratory issues that depend on electricity for their treatments.
