The center of the storm made landfall on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico near Punta Tocon at 3:20 p.m. ET with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph 140 km/h, clearing the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane, the U.S. National. the Hurricane Center said. Power was cut across the island of 3.3 million people, LUMA Energy, the island’s grid operator and Puerto Rico’s electricity authority, said in a statement. LUMA said it could take several days to fully restore power. Puerto Rico’s ports are closed and flights from the main airport are canceled. Torrential rain and mudslides were also forecast for the Dominican Republic as the storm moves northwest, with the Turks and Caicos Islands likely to experience tropical storm conditions on Tuesday, the NHC said. “These rains will cause life-threatening and destructive flooding and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher ground,” the agency said. Residents attach protective plywood to a window in their home in preparation for Fiona’s arrival in Loiza, Puerto Rico on Saturday. (Alejandro Granadillo/The Associated Press) US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in the US territory as the eye of the storm approached the southwest corner of the island. Puerto Rico’s largest public hospital was running on generators, and in some centers, those had failed. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said crews are working to repair generators as soon as possible at the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Hurricane Maria caused nearly 3,000 deaths
Fiona struck just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that hit the island on September 20, 2017, destroying its power grid and causing nearly 3,000 deaths. More than 3,000 houses still have only blue tarps as roofs and infrastructure remains weak. “I think all of us Puerto Ricans who lived through Maria have that post-traumatic stress of ‘What’s going to happen, how long is it going to last, and what needs might we face?’ said Danny Hernandez, who works in the capital San Juan but planned to ride out the storm with his parents and family in the western city of Mayaguez. This satellite image provided by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean on Sunday. The eye of newly formed Hurricane Fiona is near the coast of Puerto Rico and has already triggered blackouts across the island. (NOAA via Associated Press) He said the atmosphere was somber at the supermarket as he and others stocked up before the storm hit. “After Maria, we all experienced scarcity to some degree,” he said. The storm was forecast to hit cities and towns along Puerto Rico’s southern coast that have yet to fully recover from a series of powerful earthquakes that began in late 2019. Officials said several roads were closed across the island as trees and small landslides blocked access. More than 640 people with about 70 pets had sought shelter across the island by Saturday night, the majority on the south coast. Puerto Rico’s power grid was devastated by Hurricane Maria and remains fragile, with reconstruction only recently beginning. Holidays are a daily occurrence.
“Even the birds have understood what’s coming”
In the southwestern town of El Combate, hotel co-owner Tomas Rivera said he was prepared but worried about the “enormous” amount of rain he expected. He noted that a nearby wildlife sanctuary was eerily quiet. “There are thousands of birds here and they are nowhere to be seen,” he said. “Even the birds have sensed what’s coming and are getting ready.” Rivera said his staff brought bedridden family members to the hotel, where it has been stocked with diesel, gasoline, food, water and ice, given how slow the government was to respond after Hurricane Maria. WATCHES | Floods threaten Puerto Rico after Fiona:
Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico with flooding, total blackout
The entire island of Puerto Rico is without power as Hurricane Fiona made landfall and threatened to cause catastrophic flooding, just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 in 2017. “What we have done is prepared to depend as little as possible on the central government,” he said. It’s a sentiment shared by 70-year-old Ana Cordova, who arrived Saturday at a shelter in the northern coastal town of Loiza after buying lots of food and water. “I don’t trust them,” she said, referring to the government. “I lost my confidence after what happened after Hurricane Maria.” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluigi activated the National Guard as the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season approached. “What worries me the most is the rain,” said meteorologist Ernesto Morales at the National Weather Service in San Juan. Fiona was forecast to dump 30 to 41 centimeters of rain on eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with up to 64 centimeters in isolated spots. Morales noted that Hurricane Maria in 2017 had dumped 102 centimeters.
Some residents have already been urged to move
A hurricane warning has been issued for the east coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo. Fiona had previously lashed the eastern Caribbean, killing a man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods swept away his home, officials said. The storm also damaged roads, uprooted trees and destroyed at least one bridge. Jetsabel Osorio stands in her home that was damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico, on Saturday. (Alejandro Granadillo/The Associated Press) St. Kitts and Nevis also reported flooding and downed trees, but said its international airport would reopen Sunday afternoon. Dozens of customers were still without power or water, according to the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency. In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Madeline was forecast to bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of southwestern Mexico. The storm was centered about 245 kilometers south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes on Sunday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h.
