More than half of the homes and businesses in Puerto Rico are without power following the arrival of Storm Ernesto.
LUMA Energy, the Caribbean island’s main electricity supplier, said some 998,000 customers were without power at 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT), according to BBC America partner CBS News.
Ernesto was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, continuing to intensify with wind gusts of up to 85 mph (140 km/h), moving north toward Bermuda, where it is expected to make landfall on Friday.
Forecasters predict it could become a major hurricane within the next 48 hours.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm moved through Puerto Rico overnight, with up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain expected in some areas.
LUMA President and CEO Juan Saca said more than 1,500 employees were working on site to “reestablish service” and reconnect power.
“We have to assess what measures need to be taken to solve this problem,” he told Reuters.
Puerto Rico’s power grid has been knocked out by hurricanes before. When Hurricane Fiona hit the island in 2022, about 80% of homes and businesses were without power for nearly a month.
Ernesto is the fifth named Atlantic storm this season.
Hurricane Beryl The earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, it swept through the Caribbean and Texas Gulf Coast last month, killing dozens of people and knocking out power to millions.
