5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico During COVID-19 Lockdown

The city of Ponce in Puerto Rico was rattled by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 at the wee hours of Saturday morning. Though a tsunami advisory was not issued, officials in Puerto Rico determined that it did cause some destruction. Ponce Mayor Maria “Mayita” Melendez revealed that buildings were damaged but officials are currently focusing on making sure that citizens are okay while analyzing the level of damage done.

According to CNN, surrounding areas were also struck with earthquakes around 3.4 to 4.9 on the Richter scale. Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced updated citizens on the status of investigations on Twitter. Vasquez said that there hasn’t been damage done outside of the Ponce area after officials investigated into three dams.

“We emphasize the importance of remaining calm and urge everyone to always use a face covering when outside the home,” Vazquez said in a tweet. Vasquez also shared gratitude for Trump and FEMA. “Thanks to the coordinator of @femaregion2, Alex Amparo for communication. Puerto Rico will have all the resources it needs for any assistance. @realDonaldTrump,” she added.

Following the earthquake, The Electric Energy Authority tweeted that the EcoElecrica power plant was down, though they assured citizens that they were working hard at bringing it back. There hasn’t been any indication of how many residents had lost power due to the shortage.