About 840,000 people across Puerto Rico were without power on Thursday as the U.S. territory continues to struggle after the destruction of Hurricane Maria last fall, according to the island’s Electric Power Authority.
The power company, in a series of tweets on Thursday, said that a tree had fallen onto the main line supplying power to the capital of San Juan and its surrounding communities along the northern coast, and to the southeast part of the island. The tree fell as crews were clearing land in Cayey, a mountain town in southeast Puerto Rico, as part of a power-restoration project in the wake of the hurricane.
It’s the latest point of frustration for Puerto Ricans, who’ve dealt with the power line breaking down multiple times in recent months. Since the hurricane tore from the island’s southeast corner though the central mountains and out the northwest coast six months ago, a cluster of communities near Cayey remain without power. Across the rest of the island, more than 1,200 generators provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency still are the primary source of power for hospitals, more than two dozen police and fire stations, correctional facilities and water pumps.
Power slowly began returning to various parts of San Juan on Thursday afternoon, the capital’s mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz, said in a tweet. Backup generators fueled Puerto Rico’s main public hospital and international airport.
The power company estimated it could take up to 11 hours for power to be restored.