More Than a Million Still Without Power After Puerto Rico Quake

(Bloomberg) -- More than one million people remain without power in Puerto Rico after a powerful earthquake struck the island this week.

Nearly 900,000 homes and businesses were cut off from the grid as of Thursday morning, said Jose Blanco, a Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority spokesman. That’s about 65% of the utility’s customers.

The authority, known as Prepa, is still assessing damage from the 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck Tuesday. It’s unclear when power will be fully restored. Transmission and distribution systems are in good condition, but power plants are badly damaged, Blanco said.

Natural disasters have battered the bankrupt U.S. territory in recent years. Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico in 2017, destroying the electrical grid and killing about 3,000 people.

--With assistance from Gerson Freitas Jr..

To contact the reporter on this story: Michelle Kaske in New York at mkaske@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Joe Ryan, Reg Gale

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