A massive island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as residents were looking ahead to the Easter weekend.
A spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power for the U.S. territory, told The Associated Press that all 1.4 million customers were affected, including the main international airport and several hospitals. At least 328,000 customers were without water.
Power had only been restored for around 175,000 customers – or 12% – by Wednesday.
Hotels were near capacity, with thousands of tourists celebrating Easter vacations on the island. Tourism officials rushed to reassure them that many hotels and other businesses were operating with generators.
Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said at a news conference that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon on Wednesday, during a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are not many machines regulating frequency at that hour.
Verónica Ferraiuoli, Puerto Rico’s acting governor and secretary of state, said the White House reached out to local officials and said they are available if needed.
Customers sit inside a restaurant lit by battery-powered lanterns during an island-wide power outage, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)
Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, said he would work to ensure that “Washington understands the real and urgent situation Puerto Ricans face every day.”
“The electric grid crisis is frustrating, and after years of blackouts, it feels like it’s going from bad to worse,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
