'5 months without power': Blackout is latest snag in Puerto Rico's long recovery from Hurricane Mari

[TexasTowelie]

'5 months without power': Blackout is latest snag in Puerto Rico's long recovery from Hurricane Maria

Five months ago, Puerto Rico began its plunge into the longest blackout in U.S. history.

After much struggle and a botched contract to restore power, the embattled island showed some progress in its recovery from Hurricane Maria. Then Sunday, the lights went out again: An explosion and fire at two power plants shrouded much of the northern part of the island in darkness.

Most customers hit by the blackout had their power restored by Monday. But the incident underscores the challenges of recovering from a major storm on an island with aging infrastructure. It's a reminder that the U.S. territory will probably have a longer, tougher road to recovery than other states battered by recent storms.

Union leader Angel Figueroa Jaramillo, who represents Puerto Rico's public electrical workers, spoke outside one of the damaged power stations and warned against privatizing the electrical system, something Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has favored.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/12/power-outage-puerto-rico-latest-snag-islands-long-recovery-hurricane-maria/329322002/