Puerto Rico on Wednesday experienced an island-wide blackout that has left all 1.4 million residents without power.

The cause of the blackout, which comes as the predominantly Catholic nation prepares for the Christian holiday of Easter, was not immediately clear. Officials said power is not expected to be fully restored for another 48 to 72 hours.

Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said the blackout occurred shortly before noon after a disturbance hit the island's power transmission system, the Associated Press reported. 

The blackout has also left at least 78,000 clients without water.

The White House has reached out to local communities to offer aid.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.