Hurricane Fiona ripped through Puerto Rico early Monday with heavy rain and winds that triggered mudslides, flooding and a power outage that swept across the island.
“The damage we are seeing is catastrophic,” said Governor Pedro Pierluisi.
The entire power grid went down on Sunday, leaving 1.5 million electricity customers in the dark. Only about 100,000 of those customers had power restored by early Monday.
Although the storm made landfall in the Dominican Republic on Monday, it continued to pound Puerto Rico with relentless rain. Ernesto Morales, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Juan, said flooding reached “historic” levels.
Up to 30 inches of rain still possible
Hundreds of water rescues were underway and widespread evacuations were ordered across the US territory of 3.2 million people. Parts of the island, which are still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria five years ago, could see up to 30 inches of rain before the storm leaves the area by Monday afternoon, AccuWeather reported.
“These rains will continue to produce catastrophic and potentially fatal flooding along with mudslides and mudslides across Puerto Rico,” said Brad Reinhart, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Urban flooding and life-threatening flooding are likely in the eastern parts of the Dominican Republic.”
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The winds ripped the tops off houses and businesses. The water ran through the streets and into the houses. Roads were broken and in the central city of Utuado a bridge was installed by the National Guard after Maria swept through. And there were still hours of rain left.
“It’s important for people to understand that this is not over,” Morales said.
Ada Vivian Román, 21, said the storm toppled trees and fences in her hometown of Toa Alta. He was worried about how long the public transportation he relies on to get to his job at a public relations agency won’t be able to function.
“But I know I’m privileged compared to other families who are practically losing their homes because they’re under water,” he said.
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where is fiona now
Fiona was centered 15 miles west-southwest of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph early Monday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving northwest at 8 mph.
Fiona became the third hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season on Sunday, hours before its first landfall on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast near Punta Tocon. Fiona was a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
Fiona made landfall in the Dominican Republic early Monday about 20 miles south of Punta Cana with sustained winds of 90 mph.
Contributor: The Associated Press
