5.2 Quake Rattles Three Caribbean Islands

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., Thurs. Jan. 9, 2020: Three Caribbean islands were on Wednesday shaken today by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake.

According to the UWI Seismic Unit, the quake was felt in Roseau, Dominica, Fort-de-France, Martinique and Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The latest quake comes on the heels of the deadly 6.4 earthquake that occurred in Puerto Rico Tuesday and as several aftershocks continued to shake the US Caribbean island Wednesday.

PUERTO RICO

Maribel Rivera, 58, lies on a cot outdoors for fear of possible aftershocks in Guanica, Puerto Rico on January 8, 2020, one day after the earthquake. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Many Puerto Ricans slept outside Tuesday night and woke up to an island still largely without power even as the USGS yesterday recorded approximately 40 quakes including a magnitude 4.7 SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico.

More than 250,000 also remain without water. Hundreds of buildings have also been damaged or are close to crumbling.

A Puerto Rican flag waves on top of a pile of rubble as debris is removed from a main road in Guanica, Puerto Rico on January 8, 2020, one day after the earthquake. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after the powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake killed at least one person in the south of the island and caused widespread damage.

President Trump on Tuesday approved federal emergency funding for Puerto Rico and the White House in a statement Wednesday announced it ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide equipment and resources to respond to the earthquakes.
The FEMA authorization will allow the emergency agency to provide direct federal assistance to the tune of 75 percent of costs, the rest falling on the island.