Children and teachers at a Puerto Rico school celebrated earlier this month after their power returned following several months without energy, according to a video the school posted on social media.
The video, which was posted to Facebook earlier in January, shows young students at the Academia Bautista de Puerto Nuevo in San Juan posted cheering in different classrooms as teachers rang bells to celebrate the return of electricity. Students had been working in the dark since Hurricane Maria arrived.
“After Hurricane Maria we returned to school on October 10. Since that day, until last week we were operating without energy service,” Josué Gómez, the school’s administrative director, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. He noted that the power was finally restored on Jan. 11.
WATCH:
Puerto Rico went black in September after hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall. Gov. Ricardo Rossello promised to restore 95 percent of power to the island before New Year’s Day, but it’s been a month and only 80 percent of the grid is generating electricity.
The official death toll on the island stands at about 51, despite unverified reports that nearly 1,000 people have been authorized for cremation since Maria thundered through the area. Thousands fled the island after the storm barreled through.
More than 100,000 people have vacated Puerto Rico, and most of the island’s power gird is still down after hurricanes Irma and Maria pummeled the American territory. Puerto Rico has a long history of corruption that has mired the island in crippling debt, which has complicated rebuilding efforts.
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