Puerto Ricans cheer return of electricity but remain wary

ADJUNTAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — It was finally a night to celebrate in this village tucked into the mountains of central Puerto Rico.

People pressed TV remote buttons, clicked on fans and plugged in refrigerators as electricity again flowed into homes that had been without power since two major hurricanes devastated the U.S. territory nearly a year ago.

Lights are slowly coming on for the more than 950 homes and businesses across Puerto Rico that remain without power in hard-to-reach areas. Repair crews are sometimes forced to dig holes by hand and scale down steep mountainsides.

It is slow work, and it has stretched nearly two months past the date when officials had promised that everyone in Puerto Rico would be energized. And even as TVs glow, many fear their returned normality could be short-lived.

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