5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico During COVID-19 Lockdown

BYAron A.1179 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
A massive earthquake rattled Puerto Rico and damaged buildings.

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. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...