{"id":5084221,"date":"2020-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/another-big-quake-strikes-puerto-rico-amid-covid-19-lockdown\/"},"modified":"2020-05-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T04:00:00","slug":"another-big-quake-strikes-puerto-rico-amid-covid-19-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2020\/05\/04\/another-big-quake-strikes-puerto-rico-amid-covid-19-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Big Quake Strikes Puerto Rico Amid COVID-19 Lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <em>By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/angelicaserran0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ang\u00e9lica Serrano-Rom\u00e1n\u00a0<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This story was reported under a partnership with CTLatinoNews.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puerto Rico is struggling to simultaneously tackle two emergencies with limited resources: earthquakes that have not stopped since December and the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the earthquakes in the south of the island have never ceased, none have been as strong as the magnitude 5.4 earthquake reported at 7:13 a.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis earthquake took us by surprise. We were no longer feeling them until now,\u201d said Hederka Ortiz-Medina, resident of Ponce, one of the most affected municipalities.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ortiz-Medina said that she was accompanying her mother at a supermarket in Coto Laurel when they felt the tremor.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a normal morning, we were using protection for the virus, until I saw boxes were falling. Later on, a loud explosion was heard. All the boxes began to fall,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She heard people crying and yelling because they had left their children alone in their houses. Ortiz-Medina described the scene as \u201ca horror film,\u201d since the tremor occurred on a rainy day in the middle of a pandemic. There were many disoriented people looking for their cars in the parking lot.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Comparten v\u00eddeo de da\u00f1os en Supermax <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ponce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#Ponce<\/a> | Sismo 2.mayo.2020<br>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iShvVKt6nJ\">pic.twitter.com\/iShvVKt6nJ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Omar Alfonso (@OmarAlfonsoPR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OmarAlfonsoPR\/status\/1256579476579848194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liz Yanira De Lleguas, another resident from Ponce, said that the earthquake\u2019s sound and shaking woke her and her husband. \u201cWe are still frightened, because the aftershocks have not stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Wanda V\u00e1zquez emphasized Saturday that the government will not create earthquake shelters because of the need to keep people apart during COVID-19, and the people affected by the Saturday tremor should be relocated.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are facing an additional emergency, but we can\u2019t forget that the most lethal is COVID-19. We can\u2019t forget that. Don\u2019t forget the prevention measures. If we forget it, the result will be worse,\u201d Gov. V\u00e1zquez said.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an effort to prevent people from rushing to the south to help, the head of the island health department, Dr. Lorenzo Gonz\u00e1lez, said that all efforts to bring aid, including emergency supplies, must be processed through the government\u2019s emergency operations center. He also asked residents to continue social distancing and hygiene measures.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The past discovery of warehouses full of supplies from previous emergencies that had never been distributed has led to distrust among residents that the government will provide urgently needed assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mar\u00eda \u201cMayita\u2019\u2019 Mel\u00e9ndez, mayor of Ponce, said that 29 municipal buildings have been closed since January, when the strongest earthquakes hit the town. Other historic buildings like the Museo de la Masacre de Ponce were practically destroyed after the new 5.4 tremor.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Ic\u00f3nico Museo de la Masacre de Ponce queda pr\u00e1cticamente destru\u00eddo luego del temblor de esta ma\u00f1ana. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rCvm0ITUwj\">pic.twitter.com\/rCvm0ITUwj<\/a><\/p>&mdash; El Foro de Puerto Rico (@elforopr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elforopr\/status\/1256551020227936256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government has not reported injuries or deaths. However, citizens have reported seeing severe cracks in houses and other buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Mi casa parroquial ahora con el terremoto en Ponce. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lFWe1jEmEW\">pic.twitter.com\/lFWe1jEmEW<\/a><\/p>&mdash; P. Orlando Lugo (@PadreOLugo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PadreOLugo\/status\/1256544698560319488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mayor of Gu\u00e1nica, Santos Seda-Nazario,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.primerahora.com\/noticias\/puerto-rico\/notas\/alcalde-de-guanica-porque-ya-lo-hemos-perdido-todo-ya-no-hay-mas-que-caiga-al-piso\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told\u00a0<em>Primera Hora<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that \u201cbecause we have already lost everything, there is nothing more to fall to the ground.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe do not want to go back after everything we have achieved,\u201d Gov. V\u00e1zquez said in reference to the island\u2019s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that was not her position when she signed Executive Order 2020-038 on Friday to begin a \u201cgradual reopening\u201d of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Citizens will remain on lockdown 24 hours a day until May 25. Puerto Ricans are allowed to go out between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m., to visit pharmacies, hospitals, supermarkets and other authorized businesses. The new Executive Order allows more businesses to reopen such as accounting and dental offices. Others, like hardware stores, have more limited working hours. People can also do physical activities outdoors, such as biking and jogging, at specific times. Violators will be fined, arrested or both.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was not until April 29 that the government authorized the opening of school cafeterias to feed children in need.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past three years, Puerto Rico has faced two hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing earthquakes.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday, health officials reported 182 new positive cases of the coronavirus for a total of 1,757 overall. The total death toll is 95 with 54 documented by tests and 41 certified by doctors because the patient\u2019s clinical picture at the time of death was compatible with COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to reporting deaths certified by physicians, the health department uses the term \u201cunique positive cases\u201d to refer to their verified data. Puerto Rico\u2019s Center for Investigative Journalism&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/periodismoinvestigativo.com\/2020\/04\/puerto-rico-health-departments-covid-19-math-is-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported in April<\/a>&nbsp;that the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases that have been reported can reflect a double or even triple count.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last time the health department reported the total number of tests was April 23.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Ang\u00e9lica Serrano-Rom\u00e1n\u00a0 This story was reported under a partnership with CTLatinoNews. Puerto Rico is struggling to simultaneously tackle two emergencies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,582,576],"tags":[1675],"ppma_author":[583],"class_list":["post-5084221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-ct-news-junkie","category-democracypolitics","tag-puerto-ricopuerto-rico-earthquakes"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jermaine Smith","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/author\/jay\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By\u00a0Ang\u00e9lica Serrano-Rom\u00e1n\u00a0 This story was reported under a partnership with CTLatinoNews. 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