Crews this week restored power for the first time to parts of the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa, which received the first hit from Maria. Ricardo Rossello had pledged 95 per cent power generation by Dec. 15, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has said the entire island will have power by May. Government officials said nearly 14,000 poles already have been shipped to Puerto Rico, and that another 7,000 will arrive in upcoming days. “Maria severely impacted most of our energy infrastructure.”Officials said Puerto Rico has about 3,860 kilometres of transmission lines, 48,280 kilometres of distribution lines and 342 substations that suffered substantial damage during the hurricane. “We understand how difficult it has been for the people of Puerto Rico who have been without power for so long,” he said.

Source: thestar December 30, 2017 02:26 UTC