The catastrophic passage of Hurricane Fiona (category 1) through the island of Puerto Rico has left, so far, at least four dead as balance, in addition to floods, road closures and power and water cuts, due to torrential rains – forecast to continue – and strong winds.
Telemundo Puerto Rico reported the death of Gilberto Ayala Aponte, 58, who died in the patio of his residence in the La Prieta sector, in Comerío, in the central-eastern region of the island.
Ayala Ponte "
would have slipped, hit his head and fallen into a ravine",
to later be dragged by the current of the La Plata River.
Flooded houses on the beach in Salinas after the passage of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Monday, September 19, 2022.Alejandro Granadillo / AP
The overflow of the La Plata River, in fact, affected the town of Toa Baja, in the north of Puerto Rico, where houses were flooded and this forced residents to take furniture and refrigerators out into the street, as reported by Carlos Robles, chief of Meteorology of Telemundo News, from that locality.
The water reached up to six feet high.
The forecast, now, is that
Fiona reaches category 4
and the accumulation of rain that remains to fall in the south of the island could be between four and six inches.
Long-term weather forecasts indicate that the hurricane will not approach other parts of the United States.
"Recovery is long and tedious": FEMA explains how it will help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona
Sept.
19, 202203:46
The local newspaper Nuevo Día reports, for its part, the death of another three people as an indirect result of the emergency.
Two deaths occurred in shelters and due to "natural causes", according to the aforementioned media.
The other victim was José Cruz Román, a 70-year-old man from the Hato Arriba neighborhood, in the municipality of Arecibo, who
died after the electric generator
he tried to turn on exploded.
Roman's wife suffered burns to her face and arms while trying to help him.
Rescue work amidst the rains
The south and center of the island are the most affected parts.
The streets of their cities have been transformed into dangerous torrential rivers with strong currents.
[A hurricane warning is issued for Puerto Rico as Fiona arrives. Heavy rains are also expected in the Dominican Republic]
Hence, the call of Pedro Pierluisi, governor of Puerto Rico, to the residents is to stay in their homes or seek high places to avoid unexpected floods.
"
It is not time to go out to see how the street is
", said Pierluisi at a press conference.
"With the exception of an emergency, the street has to be available for immediate response tasks."
So far, the Puerto Rico National Guard has reported 30 rescue operations in 25 municipalities to help more than 1,000 people.
More than 2,000 people have had to seek refuge.
One of the most affected towns is Salinas, in the south of the island.
The overflow of the river destroyed the entrance road to this municipality, which altered the daily activities of the inhabitants.
"Now these people would have to turn around completely, perhaps to do some errand," Salinas mayor Karilyn Bonilla told Noticias Telemundo.
Residents affected by Fiona rest in a shelter in Salinas this Monday, September 19.
Stephanie Rojas/AP
Logs, tree branches and poles have fallen onto the roads, blocking traffic.
Almost the entire island is still without electricity and more than 778,000 people are still without drinking water service.
In towns such as Naranjito, Barranquitas and Comerío, in central Puerto Rico, rivers also overflowed, complicating the safety of residents.
[Puerto Rico wakes up underwater after the passage of Hurricane Fiona]
"I hope we have learned from [Hurricane] María, and I understand that communication and coordination have to be improved so that the damage coordination teams can get out on the streets quickly," Bonilla said, recalling the passage of Hurricane María five years ago. years, which was also devastating.
