Displaced Families Await Post-Quake Housing in Puerto Rico
The quake and a subsequent 5.9 magnitude aftershock that hit Saturday damaged at least 789 homes
By Dánica Coto ••
Carlos Giusti/AP
A chihuahua dog sleeps on a cot in a tent city for hundreds of people displaced by earthquakes in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 14, 2020.
The Antonetti family sat in the shade of a tree eating orange slices while contemplating the long day ahead of them in a dusty parking lot in southern Puerto Rico.
Behind them stood their temporary home: a four-door compact car whose back seat is reserved for 89-year-old Luis Antonetti and the passenger seat for his 79-year-old wife.
“When it starts getting chilly, they cover themselves up,” said their son, Miguel Antonetti, 62, who sleeps in the driver’s seat.
They found a nearby government shelter was too crowded, so they have slept in the car since the family’s home was damaged by the 6.4 magnitude quake that struck Puerto Rico on Jan. 7, killing one person and injuring nine as it knocked out power to the entire island.
Powerful earthquakes and aftershocks in southern Puerto Rico have left several buildings in ruins. NBC 6's Sheli Muniz reports from Guanica.
Like hundreds of other families, they are not sure where they will live next as government officials try to find housing for displaced people in a U.S. territory still struggling to rebuild from Hurricane Maria.
The quake and a subsequent 5.9 magnitude aftershock that hit Saturday damaged at least 789 homes, of which 88 collapsed entirely and 257 are seriously damaged, said Elmer Román, Puerto Rico’s secretary of state, citing statistics from a preliminary assessment done by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Those numbers are going to keep going up,” Román said. “The aftershocks are degrading infrastructure.”
More than 1,280 earthquakes have hit Puerto Rico’s southern region since Dec. 28, more than two dozen of them magnitude 4.5 or greater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday, killing one man, injuring at least eight other people, knocking out power and collapsing buildings in the southern part of the island.
The seismic activity has caused more than 7,960 people to take refuge in government shelters in the island's south, although officials say many of them are simply scared of returning home even if their houses were not damaged in the quakes.
In addition to the preliminary FEMA numbers, Román said that so far some 634 families staying in shelters reported their homes were severely damaged and 845 said their homes had some damage. Those personal assessments have not been corroborated by government officials, he said.
Complicating the search for immediate to long-term housing is the fact that the earthquake struck in one of Puerto Rico’s poorest ares, said Raúl Santiago, a research associate at the Center for a New Economy, a think tank in Puerto Rico.
He noted that 15% to 23% of homes in the region affected by the quake were damaged by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that struck in September 2017, killing an estimated 2,975 people in its aftermath, destroying more than 4,000 homes and causing more than an estimated $100 billion in damage.
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Cars drive through an area heavily affected by a landslide after a powerful earthquake hit the island in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Jan. 12, 2020. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico on January 11, the latest in a series of powerful tremors that have shaken the U.S. territory in recent days.
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People arrive with supplies for affected residents in Guanica, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 12, 2020, after a powerful earthquake hit the island. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico on January 11, the latest in a series of powerful tremors that have shaken the U.S. territory in recent days.
Xavier Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A person inspects rubble and destroyed power lines in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. Puerto Rico was hit by a series of earthquakes over the past 15 days, leading to a state of emergency, various power outages and millions of dollars of damage.
Xavier Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Caterpillar Inc. excavator sits on a destroyed bridge in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. Puerto Rico was hit by a series of earthquakes over the past 15 days, leading to a state of emergency, various power outages and millions of dollars of damage.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
A barber gives free haircuts to people at a shelter in Guanica, Puerto Rico on Jan. 12, 2020, after a powerful earthquake hit the island. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico on January 11, the latest in a series of powerful tremors that have shaken the U.S. territory in recent days.
Carlos Giusti/AP
William Mercuchi’s house sits damaged after a 6.4 earthquake hit Yauco, Puerto Rico, the day before, as seen in this Jan. 8, 2020, photo.
Carlos Giusti/AP
A building collapses after the previous day’s magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Yauco, Puerto Rico, Jan. 8, 2020. More than 250,000 Puerto Ricans remained without water on Wednesday and another half a million without power.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Maritza Quiñones Rodriguez, 51, cries as she and other neighbors remain outdoors using camping tents and portable lights for fear of possible aftershocks after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Paramedics assist a man suffering from seizures as he and neighbors remain outdoors using camping tents and portable lights for fear of possible aftershocks on their first night after an earthquake in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Volunteers distribute food to neighbors who remain outdoors using camping tents and portable lights for fear of possible aftershocks after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 7, 2020.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Neighbors place Martin Velez, 96, on a bed outside a shelter after an earthquake struck in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Store owners and family help 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.
Ricard Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
The Inmaculada Concepcion church, built in 1841, is seen partially collapsed after an earthquake hit the island in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 7, 2020. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the island – the latest in a series of tremors that have shaken the island since December 28.
Alejandro Granadillo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A view of damages at Guanica town after 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico on Jan. 7, 2020.
Alejandro Granadillo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A view of damages at Guanica town after 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico on Jan. 7, 2020.
Ricard Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
The Inmaculada Concepcion church, built in 1841, is seen partially collapsed after an earthquake hit the island in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 7, 2020.
Ricard Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
The Inmaculada Concepcion church, built in 1841, is seen partially collapsed after an earthquake hit the island in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 7, 2020.
RICARDO ARDUENGO
Paramedics carry away an injured patient after a earthquake hit the island in Ponce, Puerto Rico on Jan. 7, 2020. Eight people were hurt from the latest quake, with one man dead.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
A man carries a St. Jude statue from the Inmaculada Concepcion church ruins that was built in 1841 and collapsed after an earthquake hit the island in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 7, 2020. A strong earthquake struck south of Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning – the latest in a series of tremors that have shaken the island since December 28. The shallow 6.4 magnitude quake struck five miles south of the community of Indios, the USGS said.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Debris from a collapsed wall of a building litters the ground after an earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Carlos Giusti/AP
Amir Seneriz, president of the Logia Aurora Organization, inspects damages after an earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
Courtesy Fabián Torres
A damaged wall crumbles in Yauco, Puerto Rico, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Tuesday morning on Jan. 7, 2019.
Courtesy Fabián Torres
Cracks appeared on a damaged building in Yauco, Puerto Rico, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Tuesday morning on Jan. 7, 2019.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
San Juan is plunged in darkness after a 6.4 earthquake rattled Puerto Rico early Jan. 7, 2020, leaving the island largely without power.
Courtesy Jesus Ramos
San Juan sits in darkness after power is knocked out following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Puerto Rico Tuesday morning on Jan. 7, 2019.
Courtesy Jorge Torres Ramos
Products scatter on the floor of a damaged grocery store in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Tuesday morning on Jan. 7, 2019.
Telemundo Puerto Rico
A damaged house sits in Guanica, Puerto Rico, after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit off the southern coast of Puerto Rico on Monday morning, Jan. 6, 2019.
Telemundo Puerto Rico
Guanica, Puerto Rico, residents survey a felled utility pole after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit off the southern coast of Puerto Rico on Monday morning, Jan. 6, 2019.
“There's a big demand for housing,” Santiago said.
Government officials have been hard-pressed to find homes for people who need to remain in the area because of jobs, schools or family obligations. Gov. Wanda Vázquez said her administration has been meeting with leaders of banks in Puerto Rico to see what is available in terms of repossessed homes or those that have not been sold.
“There weren't a lot of properties in the southern region,” she said. “It didn't add up to 100 homes.”
The territory's government also is making housing assistance vouchers available and offering placement in public housing units. It cheered U.S. President Donald Trump's approval on Thursday of a major disaster declaration that would release more federal funds and allow FEMA to inspect homes and offer hotel vouchers, among other things.
We were informed that President @realDonaldTrump signed the Declaration of Major Disaster for Puerto Rico. We thank the @POTUS for his commitment helping relieve the suffering of our fellow citizens. pic.twitter.com/VMGsMlnt9X
In the meantime, the National Guard is setting up five tent cities in the southern part of the island that can hold up to 1,500 people per unit and have mobile kitchens as well as showers with warm water. Government officials are urging people in crowded shelters to move into the tent cities amid hygiene concerns as they try to find a more permanent solution.
The search for housing comes as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced on Wednesday a grant agreement that will make $8.2 billion available to Puerto Rico. A federal monitor was appointed to oversee the administration and disbursement process, although HUD has yet to provide Puerto Rico with guidelines for creating a plan to use those funds.
William Rodríguez, administrator of Puerto Rico’s public housing, told The Associated Press that it is unclear exactly how many people will need housing because the government is still inspecting properties for damage.
“This is an emergency that hasn't ended,” he said.
