Puerto Ricans struggle to grasp economic impact of recurrent power outages

Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., is asking the U.S. Department of Energy to help Puerto Rico track the economic losses from the recurrent power outages that have been plaguing the U.S. territory since the beginning of the month, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity as the island grapples with heat warnings.

Small-business owners on the island are concerned about staying open as they incur additional costs to operate generators or repair damaged electronics needed to run their businesses.

In San Juan, the capital, business owners reported being without electricity for nine consecutive days in early June. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans across the island endured prolonged power outages and voltage fluctuations — damaging home appliances and forcing residents to discard spoiled foods and medicines.

The economic losses that business owners and consumers are enduring during these outages have been hard to measure.

In response, Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday requesting that Puerto Rico be added to the department's Interruption Cost Estimate Calculator system.

In the letter, obtained first by NBC News, Velázquez said the move will help Puerto Rican authorities measure the duration and frequency of outages and their economic impact, and help assess issues of compensation for people's losses.

"There must be increased transparency around the extent of the damage caused by the service interruptions," Velázquez wrote.

The outages have reignited calls from frustrated Puerto Ricans to oust the American private companies that recently took over power generation and distribution after Hurricane