Some Puerto Ricans still in the dark after island’s long blackout

Americas Now

It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island of Puerto Rico. The government recently updated its death toll and states close to 3,000 people died in the storm’s aftermath.

The power outage caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was the worst in U.S. history. And the islanders are still struggling to recover. U.S. citizens were in the dark for months after Hurricane Maria destroyed an already fragile and outdated electrical grid.

Puerto Rican residents displaced by Hurricane Maria have played a pivotal role in the island’s recovery. Most of the solar panels that churches and local organizations have distributed have been donations from Puerto Ricans who live abroad.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, says electrical service has returned to all homes. But is that actually true? And is the island’s grid repaired?

Correspondent Nitza Soledad Perez went to Puerto Rico to search for answers.