In January 2020 a series of earthquakes in Puerto Rico shut down the power grid across the entire island for several days--and longer in some areas. While most of the island went dark, a loud buzzing noise came from the gated neighborhoods on the beach where large generators maintained the status quo.

New updates to the power grid incorporate a feature called "island mode," in which a disruption to the power grid allows communities to isolate themselves from their neighbors in order to preserve their own access to power.