Category 1 Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday in southwestern Puerto Rico, where maximum winds of 140 kilometers per hour and heavy rains caused a general blackout, severe flooding and damage described as “catastrophic.”
Fiona, which until Sunday was a tropical storm, strengthened as it approached Puerto Rico and its eye passed near Punta Tocón at 3:20 p.m. local time (7:20 p.m. in Portugal), according to the National Hurricane Center of USA
In his last appearance before the press, the governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, acknowledged that there is “catastrophic damage” on the island, both in private homes and in public infrastructure.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Fiona has “very dangerous winds” and could cause flooding from heavy rains on the east and south coasts of the island.
Strong gusts of wind and rain have been felt in Puerto Rico since Saturday and intensified on Sunday, causing power outages on the island.
“As a result of the bad weather, the electrical system suffered several interruptions in the transmission lines, which contributed to a blackout throughout the island,” Luma Energy, the company in charge of the transmission and distribution of electrical energy, said on Twitter.
The company said “due to the magnitude and scope of the outage, full restoration of power could take several days.”
Puerto Rico’s power grid is very fragile, especially since Hurricane Maria, which swept through the island five years ago and wiped out the entire power grid, leaving much of the population in the dark for months.
The National Weather Service first reported the risk of flash flooding in the southeastern counties of the island, but later extended the alert to practically the entire territory, including San Juan and its metropolitan area.
Municipal sources assure that there are isolated families due to roadblocks and overflowing rivers in several regions. In the center of the country a bridge has collapsed and the roads are badly damaged.
Authorities urged communities living near the overflowing rivers to immediately move to higher ground.
According to government figures, more than 1,000 people are in 105 shelters across the island.
The hurricane caused the cancellation of all flights from the island’s airports, including the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, while seaports are closed from Saturday until further notice.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared a federal state of emergency on Saturday and asked Washington to declare a federal emergency, a measure approved by US President Joe Biden on Sunday.
Fiona’s arrival comes just two days before the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which caused an estimated 3,000 deaths and $100 billion in damage in Puerto Rico.
Source: TSF
