At a Glance
- The USGS gave the earthquake a preliminary rating of 5.5 magnitude.
- The quake was centered about 80 miles south of San Juan.
- Hundreds of people across the island reported feeling shaking.
- About 50 families were displaced from their homes.
An earthquake damaged buildings and displaced some 50 families from their homes Saturday near Puerto Rico's southern coast.
The U.S. Geological Service gave the quake a preliminary rating of 5.5 magnitude but later adjusted it to 5.4. It struck around 7:15 a.m. local time near Tallaboa, about 80 miles southwest of the capital of San Juan. The agency said the earthquake was an aftershock of a 6.4 magnitude quake in the same area that killed at least one person in January.
At least 17 other temblors were felt throughout the day on Saturday, measuring between 2.5 and 4.6 magnitude.
Hundreds of people across the island reported feeling weak to moderate shaking.
(MORE: Death Comes in Threes; Puerto Rico Faces its Third Tragedy in Less Than Three Years)
Gov. Wanda Vázquez said 50 families were forced from their homes, according to The Associated Press. Vázquez said they were not being housed in shelters due to fears over coronavirus, and she asked those who normally might volunteer to help to stay away.
“We're up against an emergency situation, but we can't forget that the most lethal one we have in our hands is COVID-19,” Vázquez said.
The mayor of Ponce, where much of the damage was reported, asked residents to please stay away from the city center.
"We will keep doing rounds all across the city to asses the structural damage in order to save lives in danger," Mayor Mayita Meléndez said on Twitter. "We are going to keep everyone posted with updates on the current situation."
Photos and video posted to social media showed damage to buildings, including the Ponce Massacre Museum, which is dedicated to a deadly 1937 civil rights protest.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
“Everything shook really hard,” local government spokesman Danny Hernández told the AP.
Puerto Rico has been wracked by a series of earthquakes in recent months, while still recovering from Hurricane Maria and trying to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
The USGS said Saturday's quake was part of the same seismic event.
"The earthquake is part of a vigorous sequence in the same region that has included hundreds of small earthquakes, beginning in earnest with a M 4.7 earthquake late on December 28 and a M 5.0 event a few hours later," the USGS said. "The sequence has included six events magnitude 5.5 and larger and over a thousand magnitude 3.0 and larger events."
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