Puerto Rico Under Tsunami Warning After Pair Of Earthquakes

Source: RICARDO ARDUENGO / Getty

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Puerto Rico in the early morning hours on Tuesday (Jan. 7), leaving at least one person dead while also causing damage to roadways and reported power outages. In the wake of the quake, a tsunami warning has been issued by local authorities and the island is under a state of emergency. Governor Wanda Vázquez spoke at a press conference this morning, announcing the official state of emergency warning. “We’ve never been exposed to this kind of emergency in 102 years,” Gov. Vázquez said in Spanish. Via her official Twitter account, Gov. Vázquez urged that public employees remain at home unless the residence suffered damage and added that first responders and related personnel would be in service.

So far, 24 aftershocks have been reported since around 4:25 AM local time and there are reports that the quakes and aftershocks may go on for days. Via Twitter, residents have shared updates and harrowing images via their accounts and keeping many concerned observers updated as well as they’re able to do. Florida congressman Darren Soto shared via Twitter that FEMA was on the ground and assisting residents after retweeting an article from NBC News that reported on the earthquake and subsequent actions taken by authorities. Gov. Vázquez said to media that she had not spoken to President Donald Trump as of this morning and a quick sweep of his Twitter account shows no indication that he’s mentioned the situation on the island. Geologists have said that there has been an uptick in seismic activity in the region and cannot predict if a larger quake or aftershocks will occur. — Photo: Getty