Puerto Rico powerless as Hurricane Fiona causes ‘catastrophic’ damage in several areas
- Most of the island of Puerto Rico was without power on Sunday as Hurricane Fiona made landfall
- Forecasters said storm would cause catastrophic flooding and threatened to dump historic levels of rain
Hurricane Fiona knocked out power across Puerto Rico on Sunday before making landfall, dumping torrential rain and wreaking “catastrophic” damage in several areas of the US island territory before spinning off towards the Dominican Republic.
Landslides, blocked roads, fallen trees and power lines, as well as a collapsed bridge in the town of Utuado in the central mountainous region were among the destruction already levied by Fiona, Governor Pedro Pierluisi told an evening press conference.
In addition, the entire territory of more than three million people lost power as the hurricane neared, with Pierluisi reporting the electrical system out of service.
Although the hurricane’s eye is now off the territory’s coast, destructive rain and devastating flash floods are expected to buffet the islands overnight before dealing a blow to the Dominican Republic on Monday.
Fiona will go down as a “catastrophic event due to the impacts of flooding” in Puerto Rico’s central mountainous region, east and south, Pierluisi tweeted, adding that 9-13 inches (23-33cm) of rain had fallen in just five hours.
“Rainfall amounts will produce catastrophic life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and portions of the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher terrain,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
