The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

"Catastrophic damage." Hurricane Fiona strengthens into category 3 after devastating Puerto Rico

2022-09-20T12:38:48.175Z


Fiona heads to the Turks and Caicos Islands after leaving most of Puerto Rico without power and thousands of people affected by the rains.


By Chantal Da Silva -

NBC News

Hurricane Fiona strengthened overnight to a Category 3 storm as it headed toward the Turks and Caicos Islands after hitting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

In Puerto Rico, the first major hurricane of the season has already caused widespread devastation, with at least four deaths, according to Telemundo Puerto Rico, after the storm dumped more than 2 feet of rain on the island and left the island without power. US territory.

[Fiona leaves almost all of Puerto Rico in the dark and more than 2,000 people have sought refuge]

As of early Tuesday, the storm's maximum sustained winds had reached 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour), with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The National Hurricane Center warned that winds were expected to strengthen over the next two days, threatening to turn the storm into a Category 4 hurricane.

A young man rides his bicycle along the seashore in Nagua, Dominican Republic, on September 19, 2022, as Hurricane Fiona passes through the country.

Erika Santelices / AFP via Getty Images

In the Turks and Caicos Islands, hurricane conditions have already begun with heavy rains hitting the British Overseas Territory, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for the nearby southeastern Bahamas.

A curfew was imposed on the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday, with residents of Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay ordered to clear streets by 5 p.m. and stay indoors.

"Storms are unpredictable," Turks and Caicos Islands Prime Minister Washington Misick warned Monday in a statement from London, where he was attending Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

"Therefore, they must take all precautions to ensure their safety."

He was scheduled to return home on Thursday.

In Puerto Rico, Fiona has already caused widespread devastation, with at least four deaths recorded after the storm dumped more than 2 feet of rain on the island and knocked out power to the US mainland.

"The damage we are seeing is catastrophic," said Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi.

A man walks through a flooded street in the Juana Matos neighborhood of Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 19, 2022, after Hurricane Fiona. AFP via Getty Images

A 58-year-old man was found dead Monday afternoon after being swept away by the currents of the La Plata River in the town of Comerío, reported Telemundo Puerto Rico.

Separately, a 70-year-old man from the city of Arecibo died of fire-related injuries after a generator he was using exploded.

Emergency personnel said the man was trying to refuel his generator while he was on, causing the machine to explode.

[The images of destruction left by Hurricane Fiona in the Dominican Republic]

Officials said two other people who died in shelters during the storm are believed to have died of natural causes, but said they were still waiting for confirmation from the Institute of Forensic Sciences.

The devastation and widespread power outages Fiona brought were a chilling reminder of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit Puerto Rico five years ago as the deadliest natural disaster to hit the US mainland in a century.

Almost 3,000 people lost their lives due to the storm.

Hurricane Fiona has brought much more rain than Maria to parts of Puerto Rico

Sept.

19, 202202:13

They also occur on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm.

US President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency on the island on Sunday, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with response efforts.

In a phone call with Pierluisi on Monday, Biden said that more than 300 federal personnel were already working to help with the response and recovery on the island.

He further said that he expected support to increase substantially in the coming days.

[Hurricane Fiona makes landfall in the Dominican Republic with violent winds after leaving Puerto Rico in the dark]

“The president said he will make sure the federal team stays on the job to get it done, especially considering Puerto Rico is still recovering from the damage of Hurricane Maria five years ago this week,” a readout of the phone call announced. shared by the White House.

Meanwhile, Fiona wreaked more havoc in the Dominican Republic, with photos on social media showing devastated houses, fallen trees and a collapsed bridge. 

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-09-20

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.