'It Felt Like The House Was Sinking.' 1 Person Dead After 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico

At least one person has been killed in Puerto Rico and power is out across the island after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast early Tuesday morning, according to the Associated Press. The 6.4 magnitude quake follows a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck nearby on Monday, resulting in the collapse of Punta Ventana, a coastal rock formation and popular tourist destination.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports the 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:24 a.m. about five miles south of the city of Indios.

Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez Garced declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning. There are currently 255 displaced people in southern Puerto Rico as a result of the earthquake, according to the governor’s office.

The island has experienced over 400 earthquakes since December 28, when a 4.7 magnitude quake struck in the same region. Eleven of the earthquakes since then have been higher than 4.0, according to the USGS. Tuesday’s quake was the most severe since Dec. 28. At least eight people have been injured in building collapses, according to the AP.

USGS says there is currently no threat of tsunami — though some municipalities along the southern coast began evacuating out of fear, according to Puerto Rico’s emergency management office.

Carmen Guzmán-Mato tells TIME she and her family fled from the southern town of Parguera, where they had been vacationing, to San Juan on Tuesday morning. “It felt like the house was sinking; we woke up in a panic,” she said.

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Officials sounded a tsunami siren that forced the town’s residents to run and drive uphill. The tsunami warning was a false alarm, but it was enough to push the family into leaving.

“I started vomiting, I believe, out of anxiety,” says Guzmán-Mato, who is from Puerto Rico but is currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her family stayed in the town until daybreak, then decided to evacuate. “It was tough because you want to leave, you want to get out of there, but at the same time it’s like, well, what if you’re on a road and all of a sudden another [earthquake] happens?”

Earlier USGS reports indicated Tuesday morning’s earthquake was a magnitude 6.6, but the number has since been adjusted to 6.4. Puerto Rico now faces likely aftershocks of magnitude 3 or higher in the coming week, USGS says.

Damage from Monday’s 5.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed several buildings. Puerto Rico’s electricity supplier, Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica, has reported an island-wide power outage as a result of Tuesday’s 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Power should be restored throughout the day, it said.

Here’s what to know about the earthquakes striking Puerto Rico, an island still recovering from 2017’s Hurricane Maria.

Who are the victims?

According to the AP, 73-year-old Nelson Martínez was killed after a wall collapsed on him in his home in Ponce, about 14 miles away from the earthquake’s epicenter. Ponce mayor María Meléndez told local television reporters that eight others were injured, according to the AP.

How are authorities and Puerto Ricans responding?

Before declaring a state of emergency, Vázquez Garced announced Tuesday morning that all government employees except for first responders have been relieved from duty for the day in order to prioritize safety. The governor’s office also urged the public to remain calm.

The governor’s office approved $130 million to aid in the emergency, Vázquez Garced announced at a Tuesday morning press conference. The office has also set up a mobile unit in Ponce to coordinate recovery efforts. The National Guard has also been called into action.

Vázquez Garced told radio station WKAQ 580 that officials will begin the process of assessing damage and identifying further possible casualties. She urged Puerto Ricans to reach out to family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly or those who live alone, to make sure all are accounted for.

Guzman-Mato, now safe in San Juan, says she and her family is still on edge as aftershocks are likely to continue. “In Puerto Rico you always hear that we’re due for a big one,” she said. “After [Monday’s earthquake] everyone was talking about, ‘alright, get your emergency kits going,’ but we had one day and it came back even harder.”