Once beset by power outages, Puerto Ricans also hit with severe water shortages

A soldier with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard climbs onto a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck during water operations in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 1, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Agustín Montañez)

By DÁNICA COTO • Jun 12, 2026

Thousands of Puerto Ricans are struggling with water shortages so severe that the governor of the U.S. territory has activated the National Guard and emergency responders are fielding calls every day.

Officials have not publicly pinpointed the cause, with shortages largely affecting some areas in the island’s most populated cities, including the capital San Juan. The island’s utilities company extracts water from rivers, reservoirs and underground aquifers that have in the past provided sufficient supply for the island’s 3.2 million people.

Residents are being forced to buy potable water, spend money at laundromats and haul heavy buckets up several flights of stairs to wash dishes, flush toilets and take showers. The elderly and disabled struggle the most, with community leaders noting that some have been hospitalized as water shortages persist.