SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Early Thursday morning, emergency crews were hard at work trying to restore electricity to Puerto Rico following a massive blackout that left the entire island in darkness. The outage, which started just after noon on Wednesday, impacted key areas including the main international airport, several hospitals, and hotels that were bustling with Easter vacationers.

The power failure affected approximately 1.4 million customers, with an additional 328,000 experiencing water shortages. By the end of the day, about 175,000 customers, equating to roughly 12% of the affected population, had their power restored. Officials expressed optimism that 90% of residents would regain electricity within 48 to 72 hours following the outage.

Governor Jenniffer Gonzlez, who had been on a week-long vacation, cut her trip short to return to Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening. She expressed her dismay at the situation, stating, "This is a shame for the people of Puerto Rico that we have a problem of this magnitude."

The blackout brought significant disruption, snarling traffic across the island, forcing hundreds of businesses to close their doors, and leaving those without generators in a desperate scramble for essential supplies like ice and candles.

This incident marks the second widespread blackout to hit Puerto Rico in the span of less than four months, the first occurring on New Years Eve. One resident, Jos Luis Richardson, who lacked a generator, voiced his frustration: Why on holidays? He resorted to dousing himself with water every couple of hours to combat the heat.

As the roar of generators filled the air and fumes permeated the environment, a growing number of Puerto Ricans rallied for their government to terminate contracts with Luma Energy and Genera PR, the companies responsible for the transmission, distribution, and generation of power. In response to these demands, Governor Gonzlez stated her commitment to addressing the issue. That is not under doubt or question, she emphasized, while also noting that resolving these problems is not a swift process. It is unacceptable that we have failures of this kind.

Gonzlez further explained that significant outages like the one experienced on Wednesday could result in daily revenue losses estimated at around $230 million, a concerning figure for an island already grappling with economic challenges.

Ramn C. Barqun III, president of the United Retail Center, a nonprofit organization representing small and medium-sized businesses, echoed these sentiments, warning that persistent power outages would deter potential investors at a critical time when Puerto Rico is in dire need of economic development. We cannot continue to repeat this cycle of blackouts without taking concrete measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure, he cautioned.

The plight of the islands elderly population also raised alarms. In response, the mayor of Canvanas organized brigades to check on bedridden individuals and those dependent on electronic medical equipment. Simultaneously, the mayor of Vega Alta opened a center to ensure that those requiring lifesaving medical devices would have access to power.

As for the cause of this latest shutdown, details remained murky. Daniel Hernndez, vice president of operations at Genera PR, indicated that a disturbance impacted the transmission system shortly after noon, coinciding with a time when the grid is particularly vulnerable due to the lower number of frequency-regulating machines.

Puerto Rico has been grappling with chronic power outages since Hurricane Maria struck in September 2017 as a formidable Category 4 storm, severely damaging the island's power grid, which continues to be a challenge for crews working to rebuild. The grid had already been in decline for decades due to insufficient maintenance and investment, compounding the difficulties faced by residents in the aftermath of the hurricane.