Blackout darkens most of Puerto Rico on New Year’s Eve

Asweeping blackout hit Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, plunging most of the island into darkness on New Year’s Eve.

Across the island, which has long been plagued with widespread power outages, residents woke up with a familiar feeling of resignation and deep frustration, as officials warned that the power outage could persist through New Year’s Eve celebrations. Only about 13% of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million utility customers had power Tuesday morning in what was described as a “systemwide” blackout, according to LUMA Energy, which operates the island’s electric power transmission and distribution system. The private consortium said it had restored service to about 44,700 customers — about 3% of those affected — by 1 p.m., but did not specify how many remained without power.

LUMA said on social media that “preliminary findings point to a fault on an underground line.” It said that it planned to restore power in phases and that “the entire process will take between 24-48 hours, conditions permitting.” The company said in a separate statement that service had been restored to the San Juan Medical Center and Municipal Hospital. Josué Colón Ortiz, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, told Telemundo that he believed restoration would take several days.