Joe McConnell
More than half of Puerto Rico’s homes and businesses were left without power following the arrival of Hurricane Ernesto.
The Caribbean island’s main power supplier, LUMA Energy, said about 998,000 customers were without access to electricity as of 3:05 a.m. EDT (0705 GMT), according to the BBC’s U.S. partner CBS News.
Ernesto, which became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, continues to strengthen with gusts of up to 140 km/h and is heading further north toward Bermuda, where it is expected to make landfall on Friday.
Forecasters predict it could develop into a major hurricane within the next 48 hours.
The storm hit Puerto Rico overnight and some areas were forecast to receive up to 25 cm (10 inches) of rain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Juan Saca, president and CEO of LUMA, said more than 1,500 employees are working in the field to “restore service” and restore electricity.
“We have to evaluate what needs to be done to be able to solve the problem,” he told Reuters news agency.
Puerto Rico’s power grid has been wiped out by hurricanes before. In 2022, when Hurricane Fiona hit the island, about 80% of homes and businesses were cut off for nearly a month.
Ernesto is the fifth named Atlantic storm to occur this season.
Hurricane Beryl It was the first Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic when it swept across the Caribbean and the Texas Gulf Coast last month, killing dozens and leaving millions without power.
