45% of Puerto Rico without power 3 months after Hurricane “Maria”

Nearly half of Puerto Rico is still without power three months after Hurricane "Maria" devastated the island, officials said Friday, December 29, 2017.

45% of nearly 1.5 million customers in Puerto Rico are still without power after a Category 4 Hurricane "Maria" devastated the island on September 20. Authorities had previously reported power generation (standing at 69.8% as of December 29), but this is the first time they provided that statistic.

Puerto Rico has 3 862 km (2 400 miles) of transmission lines, 48 280 km (30 000 miles) of distribution lines and 342 substations that suffered substantial damage during the hurricane, AP reported. Government officials said nearly 14 000 poles already have been shipped to Puerto Rico, and that another 7 000 will arrive in upcoming days. In addition, some 3 500 workers are trying to restore power across the island.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated it will take until May 2018 before the entire island is connected.

As of December 29, telecommunication services are 93.5% restored, 88% of gas stations (970 of 1 100) are operational as well as 92% of supermarkets (437 of 471). All ports are functioning normally. You can check the progress at this site.

Category 4 Hurricane "Maria" made landfall in Puerto Rico at 10:15 UTC (06:15 AST) on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 with maximum sustained winds of 248 km/h (155 mph).

This was the first Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico since Hurricane "San Ciprian" of 1932. Before it hit Puerto Rico, Maria's eye raged across Dominica for more than 2 hours on September 19, causing widespread devastation. With winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), it was the strongest hurricane to hit the country ever.

Featured image: Hurricane "Maria" over Puerto Rico at 15:15 UTC on September 20, 2017. Credit: NOAA/GOES-16 (preliminary and non-operational)