Skip to content
Apply
Stories

Puerto Rico has weathered 500 earthquakes in two weeks. How does it rebuild?

People in this story

People help shop owners remove supplies from Ely Mer Mar hardware store, which partially collapsed after an earthquake struck Guanica, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday, killing one man, injuring others and collapsing buildings in the southern part of the island. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

In the past two weeks, Puerto Rico has weathered more than 500 earthquakes, and according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the shaking isn’t over yet.

The largest two quakes, magnitude 5.8 and 6.7, struck within a 24-hour period earlier this week, killing one person, collapsing buildings, and knocking out power across the island. The quakes, which were centered just off the southwestern shore of the island, were the strongest to hit Puerto Rico in over a century.

“People are just sleeping outdoors,” says Stephen Flynn, the founding director of Northeastern’s Global Resilience Institute, who was in Puerto Rico this week to discuss ways to help the island bounce back from natural disasters. “They’re too nervous to go back into their homes.”

Continue reading on News@Northeastern.

More Stories

image of ftc commissioner Lina Khan speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City. Andrew Ross Sorkin returns for the NYT summit for a day of interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris, President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-Wen, C.E.O. of Tesla, Chief Engineer of SpaceX and C.T.O. of X Elon Musk, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and leaders in business, politics and culture.

The FTC banned non-compete agreements. What does that mean for workers, the economy and your paycheck?

04.26.2024
image of graphic of child laborers with blue colors

Northeastern researcher exposes child labor trafficking as a hidden crime after investigating 132 victims

04.25.2024
image of convict harvey weinstein in courtroom

Northeastern legal scholar says a Harvey Weinstein retrial may not be in the best interest of New York

04.26.24
All Stories