SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Fiona strengthened on Saturday as it headed toward Puerto Rico, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to issue a hurricane warning and warnings of “life-threatening flooding and mudslides » US territory and monitors the US Virgin Islands. A man was found dead on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe after heavy rains from a massive storm washed away his home in the Basse-Terre region, local authorities said. read more The storm was about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of St Croix and about 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) as of Saturday night, according to the NHC . It was expected to become a hurricane Sunday and Sunday night as it moves near Puerto Rico. A storm is considered a Category 1 hurricane when sustained wind speeds reach 74 mph or greater. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The island was braced for up to 50cm of rain and strong winds that could cause flooding, mudslides and power outages. “Hurricane conditions are expected in parts of Puerto Rico on Sunday and Sunday night and are possible in the US Virgin Islands (Saturday night) and Sunday,” the NHC said. Heavy rainfall from Fiona was also expected to spread to the Dominican Republic on Sunday and the Turks and Caicos Islands by Monday night. Empty docks are seen as Tropical Storm Fiona approaches Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo read more The government of the Dominican Republic has issued a hurricane warning for the east of the country, from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo, the NHC said. On Saturday, residents in Puerto Rico were bracing for severe power outages as the island’s grid remained fragile after Hurricane Maria in September 2017 caused the largest blackout in US history. In this Category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost power with 80% of power lines down. Authorities have opened about 80 shelters and closed beaches and casinos, and residents have been told to seek shelter. Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed a state of emergency on Saturday warning residents: “We must not underestimate this storm in the slightest. The government is active and ready to respond to the emergency.” He added, “We expect that overnight, the winds and rain will intensify” and “we all want the (electrical) service to improve, but now what matters is the response, that we are prepared.” Abner Gomez, a spokesman for LUMA Energy, the island’s power grid operator, said the storm would cause disruptions, “But we will be ready to respond.” “The same thing that happened during Maria is not going to happen here,” Gomez said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Ivelisse Rivera in San Juan, David Morgan in Washington and Rich McKay in Atlanta. Additional reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru. Edited by Franklin Paul, David Gregorio and William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
