General Discussion

mfcorey1

(11,001 posts) Sat May 2, 2020, 09:54 AM May 2020

Breaking news: Earthquake (5.5) hits Puerto Rico, damages buildings!

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/5-5-magnitude-earthquake-hits-near-puerto-rico-n1198611

5-magnitude earthquake hit near southern Puerto Rico on Saturday, jolting many from their beds on an island where some people still remain in shelters from previous quakes earlier this year. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit just off the coast of Tallaboa, Peñuelas and was felt in nearby towns — including Guánica and Guayanilla, where hundreds of homes were destroyed by a quake in early January that killed one person and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

Reports of damage were still trickling in early Saturday morning, with at least one second-story balcony crashing in the southern city of Ponce, spokeswoman Inés Rivera told The Associated Press. Meanwhile, cracks in homes were reported in Guayanilla.

“Everything shook really hard,” spokesman Danny Hernández said by phone.

Ponce Mayor María Meléndez tweeted images of the damages Saturday morning while also urging people to "avoid going to the city center until we make sure everyone is safe."

11 replies

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Breaking news: Earthquake (5.5) hits Puerto Rico, damages buildings! (Original Post) mfcorey1 May 2020 OP

Time for trump to Turbineguy May 2020 #1

He'll do less than nothing. spanone May 2020 #2

I dunno. Maybe tRUMP'll show up and toss paper towels. Ya think? abqtommy May 2020 #5

5.5 is a normal day in California jimfields33 May 2020 #7

Message auto-removed Name removed May 2020 #3

Another hit to PR. Just checked, Covid Hortensis May 2020 #4

Some people in PR received the money a couple of weeks ago. Igel May 2020 #9

Well, that is better. I only read a headline. Figures it'd be misleading. Hortensis May 2020 #10

Dang it, they can't catch a break In It to Win It May 2020 #6

trump hates puerto rico, they refused to kiss his ass. spanone May 2020 #8

I was just going to say the same thing Marrah_Goodman May 2020 #11

Turbineguy

(37,346 posts)

1. Time for trump to

Reply to mfcorey1 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2020, 09:59 AM

May 2020

do nothing.

spanone

(135,846 posts)

2. He'll do less than nothing.

Reply to Turbineguy (Reply #1)

Sat May 2, 2020, 10:03 AM

May 2020

abqtommy

(14,118 posts)

5. I dunno. Maybe tRUMP'll show up and toss paper towels. Ya think?

Reply to spanone (Reply #2)

Sat May 2, 2020, 10:29 AM

May 2020

jimfields33

(15,830 posts)

7. 5.5 is a normal day in California

Reply to abqtommy (Reply #5)

Sat May 2, 2020, 10:32 AM

May 2020

Sounds like minimum damage and no casualties. Which is so great.

Response to mfcorey1 (Original post)

Name removed Message auto-removed

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)

4. Another hit to PR. Just checked, Covid

Reply to mfcorey1 (Original post)

Sat May 2, 2020, 10:22 AM

May 2020

seems to be hitting Puerto Rico typically, lockdown extended to May. No one there has received a personal disaster relief check. Sounds typical for Trump spite.

Igel

(35,320 posts)

9. Some people in PR received the money a couple of weeks ago.

Reply to Hortensis (Reply #4)

Sat May 2, 2020, 11:18 AM

May 2020

They were federal employees and a few other small groups that qualified for getting money through the IRS disbursement system. Most PR residents don't pay the standard federal income tax.

The rest won't get any money directly through the IRS. It'll be routed--according to the legislation that Pelosi's House approved--through the PR Treasury.

The Treasury's been working out how to do this in a transparent and reasonable way. Last I heard was maybe 10 days ago, and the PR Treasury folk said they were answering the last questions and the money should be ready "soon". (Which is also what they were saying 20 days ago.)

Nobody said, as far as I know, what the issues were holding up the agreement. But articles from 3/27, before the legislation was even passed, said there'd need to be an agreement because of the then-bill's language.