The eye of Hurricane Fiona has entered the southwest coast of Puerto Rico this Sunday afternoon.
Two hours after making landfall, the Category 1 cyclone knocked out the island's power grid, causing a massive blackout.
The governor of the island, Pedro Pierluisi, has assured on his social networks that Luma Energy, the private consortium in charge of managing the electrical fabric of the US territory, "is active and ready to respond to the situation once conditions allow it" .
However, the company has announced in a statement that "due to the magnitude and scope of the blackout, as well as the effects of Hurricane Fiona, the total restoration of electrical service could take several days."
The cyclone has entered the island with sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Fiona is expected to leave heavy rain.
Citizens have reported severe damage throughout the island.
Social networks are awash with images of swollen rivers, landslides and floods.
Bridge collapses due to the strong current of the river in Utuado (Salto Arriba) near the UPRU!!!
pic.twitter.com/961u5kyJYL
– Carlos Freddy (@Carlyt0z) September 18, 2022
A river in Utuado, a municipality located in the mountainous area of the interior of the country, has carried away a metal bridge, according to videos broadcast on networks by local residents.
Other publications show how the gusts of the hurricane, which in some parts of the island have reached 100 miles per hour, have ripped the roofs off several homes.
Hundreds of people are sheltered in facilities enabled for the emergency.
Fiona, a category 1 hurricane, has been strengthening and can cause "catastrophic" flooding in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.
It devastates the island two days after the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which in 2017 also left the country without power after knocking down the power grid.
Follow all the international information on
and
, or in
our weekly newsletter
.
