After many tremors in the past week, and a 5.8
earthquake on Monday, a second, more powerful, earthquake struck just off the southern coast of the island on Tuesday morning.Puerto Ricans woke up to a sizable earthquake early Tuesday, in what the U.S. Geological Survey reported was a 6.4 quake that struck off the
United States island territory's southwest coast.
Cars are crushed under a home that collapsed after an earthquake hit Guanica, Puerto Rico, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. A 5.8-magnitude quake hit
Puerto Rico before dawn Monday, unleashing small landslides, causing power outages and severely cracking some homes. There were no immediate reports of casualties. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) The quake struck about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south-southwest of the town of Tallaboa, along the southern shores of Puerto Rico.> Reportan daños en Ponce. pic.twitter.com/4z7QfUSwDJ> > -- Valeria Collazo (@ValeriaCollazoC) January 7, 2020The United States National
tsunami Warning Center tweeted that a tsunami was not expected for the U.S. Atlantic or Gulf coasts. While a tsunami alert was initially made by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the alert was later discontinued according to the director.The Associated Press also reported island-wide power outages. The executive director of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, Jośe Ortiz, said the plants were shut down for protection, and were expected to be reestablished throughout the morning.
Residents survey damage where a home partially collapsed after an earthquake hit Guanica, Puerto Rico, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. A 5.8-magnitude quake hit Puerto Rico before dawn Monday, unleashing small landslides, causing power outages and severely cracking some homes. There were no immediate reports of casualties. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) There will be more details to come, as this is currently a developing story.This comes less than 24 hours after a powerful 5.8 quake struck just south of the island early Monday morning.
Image showing the location of a magnitude(Image/USGS) Shaking was felt across much of the island from Monday's temblor, including light shaking in the capital of San Juan. The epicenter was located about 9 miles (14 km) from the community of Indios in the municipality of Guayanilla.The Associated Press reported that Monday's earthquake triggered small landslides, caused the foundations in homes to crack and resulted in numerous power outages.> Atendido el derrumbe en la PR-335 en Guayanilla, ocasionado por el temblor de esta mañana. Agradecemos la gestión del @munguayanilla para habilitar nuevamente dicha vía. @wandavazquezg @fortalezapr @contreraspr pic.twitter.com/2PTIDTqx8G> > -- DTOP (@DTOP) January 6, 2020According to the AP, there has been an increase in seismic activity around the island since Dec. 28, with a number of quakes ranging from 4.7 to 5.1 in magnitude.Large boulders that toppled off hillsides were reportedly blocking major thoroughfares, including the highway near the town of Guanica that heads towards San Juan, the AP reported.Jose Francisco Benitez, an attorney staying at a hotel in Guanica, told the AP that people panicked as they tried to leave in their cars only to realize they were stuck due to the road being blocked."There was a state of panic," he said. "There were even people in their underwear walking around the hotel."There was no tsunami threat to Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands as a result of the early Monday quake, which was initially rated a 5.7, officials said. It had a depth of 3.7 miles (6 km). Over a dozen aftershocks followed in its wake."The weather will be good for any cleanup efforts through the middle of the week with nothing more than a brief shower and occasional gusty wind," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister.