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About half of Puerto Rico’s homes and businesses were without power on Wednesday as Hurricane Ernesto moved north into the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean after heavy rains lashed the U.S. territory. More than 725,000 homes and businesses were without power on the island, totaling about 1.5 million customers, according to LUMA Energy, the Caribbean island’s main energy supplier.
LUMA President and CEO Juan Saca said he could not say how much damage was done to the system or how long it would take to restore power. He said more than 1,500 Luma workers were at the site.
“We are in the process of restoring service,” Sarkar said. “We need to assess what needs to be done to resolve this issue.”
Puerto Rico’s power grid is extremely fragile. In 2022, Hurricane Fiona destroyed about 80% of the island’s homes and businesses in a month. Five years ago, Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed the island’s power grid and left some areas without power for nearly a year.
Since Fiona’s election, the U.S. Congress has approved $1 billion to modernize and stabilize Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ernesto, which had transitioned from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane earlier in the day, was about 220 miles (365 kilometers) northwest of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, moving northwest with winds of about 75 mph (120 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.
The NHC said the fifth Atlantic storm of the season, named Ernesto, will reach Bermuda, a British island about 670 miles (1,093 kilometers) east of North Carolina, on Saturday, with rainfall starting as early as Thursday. Ernesto could become a major hurricane in about 48 hours.
A storm is considered a hurricane when it has sustained winds of 70 mph (119 kph). A major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) has sustained winds of at least 179 kph.
Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport resumed operations Wednesday afternoon after canceling 145 flights over the past two days.
Before Ernesto’s effects fully dissipate, the U.S. Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico could receive a total of 6 inches (15.2 cm) of rain, while southeastern Puerto Rico is expected to receive up to 10 inches (25.4 cm).
The tropical storm warning for the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and nearby islands was lifted Wednesday afternoon, but Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are expected to see gusty winds for the rest of the day.
Although there have been no official reports of damage, Puerto Rico’s agricultural sector is likely to have been hit hard. Agriculture Secretary Ramón González Bello said flooding had damaged banana and plantain plantations in some areas, and losses were expected to occur in coffee and most vegetable crops as well.
Ernesto is the second named Atlantic storm in a week in what is expected to be a strong hurricane season. Slow-moving Debbie struck Florida’s Gulf Coast last week as a Category 1 hurricane and later dumped up to two feet of rain on parts of the Carolinas.
Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the season and the earliest Category 5 storm on record to hit the Atlantic, ripped through the Caribbean and the Texas Gulf Coast last month, killing dozens and causing an estimated $6 billion in damage.
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