Puerto Rico’s 

Earthquakes

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES REPORT ON

CHAIR RAÚL M. GRIJALVA PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2020
 

table of contents

Overview 3

Major Disaster Declaration 4

Committee RESEARCH MISSION 5

Lessons Learned

 Inadequate Emergency Management Protocols 5

 Importance of Investing in Housing and Infrastructure 6

 Importance of Investing in Renewable Energy 7

 Urgent Need for Additional Mental Health 

Specialists and resources 9

 Need to Protect Essential Public Services 11

recommended actions 12

Thank you to the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration for helping us coordinate the visits and meetings.
On December 28, 2019, Puerto Rico experienced the first earthquake in what would be 

a series of tremors, including 12 earthquakes of greater than 5.0 magnitude on the Richter 

Scale. This includes a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in early January that led to a confirmed 

fatality and island-wide power cuts. This activity is ongoing and additional aftershocks and 

earthquakes may continue hitting the island even after the publication of this report.

overview

Though Puerto Rico lies in a tectonically active region, the island had not been struck by 

a major earthquake in more than 100 years. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Emergency 

Management Coordinator Marie Peppler stated, “This is a special situation requiring a 

special response.”1

dec. 29, 2019

5.0 5.8 6.4 5.6 5.0 5.6 5.2 5.9 5.2 5.2 5.0

jan. 6, 2020 jan. 7, 2020 jan. 10, 2020 jan. 11, 2020 jan. 15, 2020 jan. 25, 2020

The ongoing earthquakes have repeatedly struck 

the south and southwest regions of Puerto Rico. 

Tremors have caused significant damage to critical 

infrastructure, including power plants, residences, 

roads and bridges. On January 29, USGS published a 

report indicating, “This sequence is very productive 

and the probabilities of magnitude 5 or greater 

aftershocks remain sufficiently high to warrant 

concern and will for some time in the future.”2

The Trump administration is withholding federal 

disaster recovery funds for Puerto Rico that Congress 

appropriated after Hurricanes María and Irma 

devastated the island in 2017. Additional federal aid is 

needed to help those affected by the earthquakes.

This is a special 

situation requiring 

a special response. 

USGS Emergency Management Coordinator

Marie Peppler

1 https://www.usgs.gov/news/aftershocks-continue-puerto-rico-usgs-supportsquake-recovery

2 https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2020/1009/ofr20201009.pdf

3

puerto rico earthquake timeline

earthquake magnitude

Residence in Guánica collapsed due to the tremors, taken 1/21/2020

5.0

Feb. 4, 2020
On January 11, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, requested that 

President Trump declare an expedited major disaster as a result of the continuous seismic 

activity on the island. Five days later, on January 16, President Trump signed the major 

disaster declaration authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to 

provide aid to six municipalities - Guánica, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, San Germán, and 

Yauco - through the Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs.

major disaster declaration

The Puerto Rico Seismic Network Team detected more than 

1,950 earthquakes in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 

region from December 28, 2019, through January 10, 2020. 

The earthquakes impacted power generation, public 

infrastructure, residences and businesses.

The earthquakes had displaced 6,407 individuals as of 

January 11. 

The constant earthquakes and aftershocks create an 

atmosphere of insecurity and anxiety. 

Federal assistance is necessary to save lives and protect 

property, public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the 

threat of greater disaster.

Major Disaster Declaration Request highlights

On January 22, under the major disaster declaration, FEMA approved IA program 

assistance for an additional 10 municipalities affected by the earthquakes.

PA includes coverage for debris removal, emergency shelter, emergency power generation, 

and restoring buildings for providing public services. IA covers emergency medical care, 

crisis counseling, unemployment assistance, legal services and some housing assistance. 

4

Danger sign prohibits entrance or occupancy of property located in Guánica, taken 1/21/2020
During January 2020, Committee staff visited the municipalities of Gúanica and Guayanilla 

to assess damages. They met with government officials from the Puerto Rico Electric 

Power Authority, Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, Puerto Rico Department of Housing, and 

Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) in San Juan to discuss the 

pace of emergency and reconstruction efforts. This report includes lessons learned from 

their research and visit. 

lesson learned #1

Inadequate Emergency Management Protocols

On January 6, the Commissioner of the Puerto Rico Bureau for Emergency Management 

and Disaster Management acknowledged that the Government of Puerto Rico had 

not completed its Earthquake Plan.3 The tremors revealed the absence of protocols to 

coordinate government and private sector resources, and provide a quick and effective 

emergency response. 

During the first two weeks of January, many families and individuals living in the south 

and southwest of the island evacuated their homes because they did not feel safe. The 

Government of Puerto Rico and volunteers transported emergency supplies from 

other regions because businesses remained closed and supplies were allegedly not 

available in the area. 

On January 18, a video was published showing a government distribution center 

with supplies in Ponce. Outrage was immediate and widespread, leading to protests 

that Committee staff observed. Gov. Vázquez fired and replaced three senior 

government officials responsible for emergency distribution centers to improve 

the distribution of supplies. An Earthquake Plan would have facilitated the distribution 

of emergency supplies.

The Government of Puerto Rico should complete, test, and disseminate its 

Earthquake Plan. 

The Government of Puerto Rico should provide emergency management 

training to all government officials expected to be involved in emergency 

management operations. 

recommended actions

3 https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/elplandeterremotosparapuertoricoaunnoestalisto-2539061/

committee research mission

5

Committee staff visited official shelter in Guánica, taken 1/21/2020
lesson learned #2

Importance of Investing in Housing and Infrastructure

Puerto Rico will need federal aid to invest in housing and infrastructure that is resilient 

to future natural disasters. Due to the earthquakes, as of January 11, more than 76 

residences had been totally destroyed and 173 homes had major damage. 

After a middle school in Guánica collapsed, the mayor of the town announced that all 

public schools in the municipality needed to be demolished. Experts estimate that 500 

public schools in Puerto Rico do not meet current construction codes and standards.

In addition to homes and schools, impacted areas have also experienced damage to 

power plants, bridges, and roads. Reconstruction will need to address a broad array of 

infrastructure needs across the island.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Emergency 

Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief 

Act of 2020. The legislation includes funding to address the damage caused by the 

earthquakes, including aid to restore housing and infrastructure, restart school 

operations, fund technical assistance related to electrical grids, revitalize the economy, 

and mitigate damage in the most impacted areas. In addition, the legislation allows 

federal funding previously made available in response to Hurricanes María and Irma to 

also be used to address the impacts of the recent natural disaster. 

Congress should swiftly pass, and President Trump should sign, the Emergency 

Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax 

Relief Act of 2020. The bill, proposed by Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic 

leadership, ensures Puerto Rico has the federal aid it needs to invest in housing 

and infrastructure and to recover from the earthquakes.

6

Middle school in Guánica collapsed due to the earthquakes, taken 1/21/2020

recommended actions

Committee staff met with the Puerto Rico 

Department of Housing, who stressed the 

importance of receiving federal aid for this 

new natural disaster.

They also emphasized the importance of 

ensuring that any future federal legislation 

authorizes the Government of Puerto Rico to 

use federal funding originally made available 

in response to Hurricanes María and Irma to 

address the impacts of the earthquakes. 

Committee staff met with the Puerto Rico 

Department of Housing, taken 1/22/2020
lesson learned #3

Importance of Investing in Sources of Renewable Energy

The earthquakes once again destabilized 

Puerto Rico’s electrical system and highlighted 

the importance of prioritizing investments in 

reliable, renewable energy. In 2017, Hurricane 

María knocked out the island’s power grid, leaving 

families without electricity for months in what 

is considered the second largest blackout on 

record worldwide. At the same time, the Puerto 

Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is trying 

to reconfigure power production to meet new 

renewable energy goals required by the Puerto 

Rico Energy Public Policy Act, which requires 

PREPA to get 40 percent of its electricity from 

renewables by 2025. In Fiscal Year 2019, 2.3 

percent of PREPA’s energy came from 

renewable sources.

In Fiscal Year 2019, 

of PREPA’s energy came 

from renewable sources.

2.3 percent

2.3%

7

Solar-powered emergency generator being used by families in a makeshift camp, taken 1/21/2020
The Costa Sur power plant in Guayanilla generates more than 25 percent of Puerto Rico’s 

electricity by burning natural gas. The 6.4-magnitude earthquake caused physical damage 

to the power plant. The earthquake reduced power generation and triggered blackouts 

across the island that lasted for several days and affected millions of people.

Committee staff requested authorization to visit Costa Sur, but their request was denied 

because the plant is out of service and is unsafe, according to government officials. The 

staff delegation met with PREPA Executive Director José Ortiz, who estimates it could take 

PREPA a year or longer to repair Costa Sur and cautions that it may be cost prohibitive to 

rebuild. Damage assessments were ongoing at the time of the meeting. He told staff that 

damage to Costa Sur represents an opportunity to invest in renewable power generation 

and funding for renewables could come from Community Development Block Grant 

Disaster Recovery funding. PREPA is also hoping to get a 500 megawatts generator from 

FEMA to help with system fragility issues resulting from Costa Sur being offline. 

The staff delegation also met with Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) government 

officials, including Chairman Edison Avilés. He shared that PREB asked PREPA to submit 

information about how damage to Costa Sur will impact PREPA’s long-term Integrated 

Resource Plan (IRP). PREB will be involved in evaluating whether Costa Sur should be 

rebuilt and, if not, whether its production should be replaced with renewables and batteries 

or with new fossil fuel infrastructure. 

In Guayanilla, the staff delegation witnessed families living in makeshift camps relying on 

solar-powered emergency generators for basic needs.

PREPA and PREB should prioritize investments in sources of 

renewable energy during the review and approval of the IRP 

and replacement of Costa Sur’s energy production, if necessary. 

8

Costa Sur power plant in Guayanilla, taken 1/21/2020

recommended actions
lesson learned #4

Urgent Need for Additional Mental Health Specialists & resources

Though Puerto Rico has suffered major economic crises and devastating hurricanes, 

each of the crises came with a warning of at least a few days, allowing people to prepare. 

Earthquakes are unnerving, especially to those that have never experienced them, in part 

because they happen without warning, at any time of the day or night, repeatedly, with 

no immediate end in sight. Many residents expressed that they cannot trust local or federal 

government authorities to help them in their time of greatest need, which exacerbates the 

already severe mental strain on the public. 

On the day of the 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the Puerto Rico Mental Health and AntiAddiction Services Administration received at least 428 calls directly related to the 

earthquake. The unprecedented number of calls focused primarily on doubts about 

whether the island’s infrastructure - power grid, homes, roads and hospitals - could 

withstand additional natural disasters.4 The day after the strong earthquake, the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for 

Puerto Rico. 

Committee staff witnessed the need for additional mental health specialists to help 

those affected by the earthquakes. In Guánica, Mayor Santos Seda expressed grave concern 

as engineers prepared to go through each home to assess structural damage. He feared 

the mental health implications, including suicide, of a new wave of homelessness after 

the evaluations. Roughly 40 percent of the people in the central tent camp in Guánica 

had lost their homes; the other 60 percent were too scared to sleep in their own homes. 

Unemployment in Guánica was said to be nearly universal, as even grocery stores, 

pharmacies, health clinics, schools and banks - as well as other basic and urgent services - 

were closed.

4 https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/

saludmentaltrasterremotosobre400personashanllamadoalalineapasenbuscadeayuda-2539483/ 9

Medical clinic in Guayanilla destroyed due to the tremors, taken 1/21/2020
FEMA must rapidly disseminate information about its Crisis Counseling 

Assistance & Training Program (CCP), available to areas that have received 

a major disaster declaration, at official shelters and makeshift camps. The 

program supports short-term interventions to assist disaster survivors.

The impact on mental health will be enduring for many, placing a significant 

burden on mental health services. In 2019, the Government of Puerto Rico 

received two-year federal funding for its Medicaid program. However, federal 

legislation should be considered to permanently and adequately fund 

Puerto Rico’s Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program 

programs to meet the long-term needs of the population. 

Still, Committee staff witnessed remarkable commitment by providers to their patients and 

communities. The Guayanilla makeshift medical camp was started by a doctor whose clinic, 

normally run out of the first floor of her house, was destroyed in the quakes. Another doctor 

who ran a nearby clinic damaged by the quakes had to be threatened with arrest to get 

him to stop providing care to his community from his clinic.

In Guayanilla, medics in a 

makeshift outdoor medical 

camp shared how they are 

coping with continuous 

seismic activity, including 

self-medicating and taking 

breaks regularly to cry. There 

is no consistent source of 

mental health care for the 

patients or caregivers in that 

clinic. Wherever pressure 

on residents is heaviest, it is 

doubly so for caregivers, many 

of whom are volunteers.

10

Pharmacy in Guánica collapsed due to the earthquakes, taken 1/21/2020

Makeshift camp in Guayanilla, taken 1/21/2020

recommended actions
lesson learned #5

Need to Protect Essential Public Services

The Government of Puerto Rico has suffered several consecutive years of austerity 

measures that have severely compromised access to essential public services, including 

public education and healthcare.

Even with a limited budget, the University of Puerto Rico has played a significant role 

throughout the emergency. The Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSM) is operated by the 

university, and professionals from the institution have been actively informing and advising 

the public. Both the public and private sectors rely heavily on experts and resources from 

the PRSM to save and protect lives and physical property. 

In Guayanilla, the staff delegation learned that residents of the area are struggling to 

access healthcare services during the disaster. The only active hospital in Yauco, 

Hospital Tito Mattei, suffered damage and was evacuated. The public hospital in Yauco 

was closed years ago. It is imperative to provide the residents of the south and southwest 

regions of Puerto Rico with adequate public healthcare services, especially since the 

mental health needs experienced by those living in the area are likely to increase. The 

earthquakes evidenced the importance of funding and protecting essential public 

services in Puerto Rico. 

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto 

Rico should authorize adequate funding to protect essential 

public services in the island. 

11

Residence in Guánica collapsed due to the tremors, taken 1/21/2020

recommended actions
The Government of Puerto Rico should complete, test, and 

disseminate its Earthquake Plan. 

The Government of Puerto Rico should provide emergency 

management training to all government officials expected to be 

involved in emergency management operations. 

Congress should swiftly pass, and President Trump should 

sign, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster 

Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020. The bill, 

proposed by Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic leadership, 

ensures Puerto Rico has the federal aid it needs to invest in 

housing and infrastructure and to recover from the earthquakes.

PREPA and PREB should prioritize investments in sources of 

renewable energy during the review and approval of the IRP and 

replacement of Costa Sur’s energy production, if necessary. 

FEMA must rapidly disseminate information about its Crisis 

Counseling Assistance & Training Program (CCP), available to 

areas that have received a major disaster declaration, at official 

shelters and makeshift camps. The program supports short-term 

interventions to assist disaster survivors.

The impact on mental health will be enduring for many, placing 

a significant burden on mental health services. In 2019, the 

Government of Puerto Rico received two-year federal funding 

for its Medicaid program. However, federal legislation should be 

considered to permanently and adequately fund Puerto Rico’s 

Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program 

programs to meet the long-term needs of the population. 

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico 

should authorize adequate funding to protect essential public 

services in the island. 

12

recommended actions