Hurricane Fiona is headed for Puerto Rico and threatens to ravage that Caribbean region of the United States with “catastrophic” flooding and mudslides, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports. The fragile electricity grid of the American island of 3.3 million inhabitants has already been switched off.
The rains have increased in intensity since Sunday morning (local time), as have the wind gusts. Authorities have opened more than 100 shelters, closed beaches and casinos, and asked residents to seek shelter. Ports are closed and flights from Puerto Rico’s main international airport have been canceled. Heavy rains and mudslides were also forecast for the Dominican Republic as the storm moves northwest.
The storm was already reaching sustained winds of nearly 80 miles per hour about 80 kilometers south of the city of Ponce. That makes Fiona a Category 1 hurricane, according to the NHC. Fiona is likely to grow in strength over the next 48 hours as she moves across the southwestern Atlantic via Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico authorizing the emergency agency FEMA to coordinate disaster response and take emergency measures.
Puerto Rico’s electrical grid remains fragile after Hurricane Maria caused the largest blackout in U.S. history in September 2017. In that Category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost electricity with 80 percent of the power lines turned off.
One death has been reported so far linked to Fiona. On the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a man was found dead on Saturday after his home was swept away by flooding.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss out on any of the stars.