Over 6 Dozen Tremors Rattle Puerto Rico After Massive 6.4 Quake

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., Weds. Jan. 8, 2020: Over 6 dozen smaller tremors occurred in Puerto Rico Tuesday on the heels of the 6.4 quake that caused significant damage and triggered a power outage across the island.

A man carries a St. Jude statue from the Inmaculada Concepcion church ruins that was built in 1841 and collapsed after an earthquake hit the island in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

At last count last night, the number was over 75, according to tremors registered by the U.S. Geological Survey, (USGS). The second largest was a 5.6 quake that occurred SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. The lowest magnitude registered at 2.6.

As of press time last night – around 11 p.m., a 3.2 magnitude quake occurred near Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, which was preceded by a 2.5 tremor a minute earlier near Indios, Puerto Rico.

The news comes as Acting FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor said he has been in constant communication and coordination with Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez, who declared a state of emergency Tuesday.

The Agripina Seda school is seen destroyed after an earthquake hit the island in Guanica, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

One person was reported dead while some 95 percent of the island remained without power. The Hispanic Federation, headed by Frankie Miranda, said it has a team on the ground and a vast network of non-profits actively supporting and working with in Puerto Rico that is ready to provide emergency relief and long-term support to those affected by the quake and the ensuing aftershocks.

Two firemen survey a collapsed building after an earthquake hit the island in Guanica, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

He added that thousands of solar lamps are being made available for distribution, as well as emergency funds for local health and human service providers working in affected communities and through a partnership with the University of Puerto Rico, mental health services across the island focused on trauma therapy after natural disasters are being provided.

Calle Capitán Correa en el Pueblo en Ponce. (Kike Bartolomei image)

FEMA also deployed two Incident Management Assistance Teams to the island as Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott signed a letter with Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R) asking Trump to order agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide immediate assistance to Puerto Rico.

A view of damages at Guanica town after 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. (Photo by Pedro Alejandro Granadillo Hernanadez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Democrats in Congress demanded the release of $8.3 billion in disaster recovery money in a letter sent to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Congress approved the money in response to the destruction by hurricanes Maria and Irma, which sideswiped the island 16 days before Maria hit.

By law, the money was supposed to have been released by Sept. 4, 2019, according to the lawmakers, who said in a letter circulated by Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., that HUD’s “continued inaction puts at risk the lives of millions of American citizens.”