The National Hurricane Center gave a hurricane warning for Puerto Rico, where more than 1.4 million people are without power, and the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast on Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded Tropical Storm Fiona to Hurricane Fiona on Sunday morning. More than 1.4 million people in Puerto Rico are without power due to the electrical grid being out of service, according to Governor Pedro Pierluisi.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast, from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo.
In a statement, Pierluisi stated, “Protocols have been triggered under preparations set to resolve this circumstance.” “Both LUMA (LUMA Energy) and AEE (Autoridad de Energa Eléctrica) staff are engaged and ready to respond to the problem as soon as conditions allow.”
“Rivers emerging from its cesspool have also been recorded in several locations of Puerto Rico. We underscore that everyone’s safety is the top priority at this time. NMEAD workers actively react to crises in which people’s lives are jeopardised.”
The hurricane warning “means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 24 hours,” according to an announcement from the National Hurricane Center. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
A hurricane watch is in force for the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, from Cabo Frances Viejo to Puerto Plata, indicating that the region might experience hurricane-like conditions over the next two days.
According to the National Hurricane Core, the hurricane’s centre was projected to “pass near or over Puerto Rico this afternoon or evening” before moving near the northern coast of the Dominican Republic Sunday night and Monday.
On Tuesday, Fiona is forecast to pass close to or east of Turks & Caicos.
According to the National Storm Center, winds have already reached over 80 miles per hour and are anticipated to strengthen further over the following two days. The hurricane is also forecast to bring heavy rainfall, flash flooding, mudslides, and landslides to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Fiona is forecast to dump 12 to 16 inches of rain on Puerto Rico, mostly in the east and south, and four to eight inches on the Dominican Republic’s northeast coast. According to the National Hurricane Center, the British and US Virgin Islands might receive four to six inches of rain, while Turks and Caicos could receive three to six inches.
Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, said on Sunday that courses in the island’s public schools and employment in government agencies other than first responders and vital workers would be cancelled on Monday.
On Sunday, the governor tweeted that individuals in flood-prone areas should leave and that 118 shelters are available.
Pierluisi stated that $550 million in emergency funding were available to cope with the hurricane’s aftermath and enough food to feed 200,000 people three times a day for 20 days.
The governor stated that the expected heavy rains are problematic because the island’s soil is already wet. Meanwhile, many Puerto Ricans were concerned about severe power disruptions because the restoration of the island’s electricity infrastructure, which Hurricane Maria destroyed in 2017, had barely begun. The grid is still vulnerable, and power outages occur regularly.
The storm was upgraded when a hurricane warning was issued for it as it approached Puerto Rico on Saturday.
So far, one death has been recorded in Guadeloupe, a French territory. More than 20 other individuals were rescued amid high wind and rain that knocked out electricity to 13,000 customers, ripped up roads, downed trees, and collapsed at least one bridge.
According to regional prefect Alexandre Rochette, the corpse was discovered on the side of a road after floodwaters washed away a residence in the city of Basse-Terre. More than 20 other individuals were rescued amid severe wind and rain that knocked out electricity to 13,000 clients.
