US State Department says ‘reconsider’ travel to Bermuda as Category 4 Hurricane Fiona prepares to hit on Friday after storm sideswiped Turks and Caicos islands and left 3.2m in Puerto Rico without power
- Hurricane Fiona was elevated to a Category 4 storm after the it tore through Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic
- Only 26% of Puerto Ricans had power as of Wednesday morning, as some say Fiona is ‘far worse’ than Hurricane Maria in 2017, which killed nearly 3,000 people
- Fiona has been the direct cause of at least four deaths in the Caribbean
- The storm has sustained winds upward of 130mph and is centered 700 miles southwest of Bermuda, with an estimated arrival projected for late Thursday or Friday
- President Joe Biden made an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Sunday and told residents Monday that ‘we will get through this together’
Hurricane Fiona has been elevated to a Category 4 storm after it tore through the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where 3.2 million are still without power.
Fiona has maintained winds upward of 130mph and is currently centered 700 miles southwest of Bermuda, where it is set to land late Thursday or Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Because of recent destruction in the Caribbean and ‘the potential impact of Hurricane Fiona,’ the US State Department has advised travelers to ‘reconsider’ visiting Bermuda.
At least four deaths have been caused by the storm in the Caribbean, according to a report by the Associated Press, while 26 per cent of Puerto Ricans are without power as of Wednesday morning.
Luma, the company which presides over the island’s power, transmission and distribution, said Fiona ‘has severely impacted electrical infrastructure and generation facilities throughout (Puerto Rico).’
‘We want to make it very clear that efforts to restore and reenergize continue and are being affected by severe flooding, impassable roads, downed trees, deteriorating equipment and downed lines.’
Only 55% of Puerto Rico have access to water service as of Wednesday.
Some Puerto Rico residents say Fiona has proven more challenging than Hurricane Maria, which caused the deaths of an estimated 2,975 people and left 1.5 million without power in 2017.
‘We thought we had a bad experience with Maria, but this is worse,’ said Gerardo Rodriguez.
Minimal damage and no deaths were reported in the Turks and Caicos Islands after the storm passed through Grand Turk Tuesday morning.
Government officials issued a curfew while urging all residents to avoid flood-prone areas.
‘Turks and Caicos had a phenomenal experience over the past 24 hours,’ said Deputy Gov. Anya Williams. ‘It certainly came with its share of challenges.’
Hurricane Fiona is projected to hit Bermuda by Friday morning before reaching northeastern Canada by Saturday and early Sunday
The projected weather impact from Fiona’s eventual landing in Canada
A woman looks at her water-damaged belongings after flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona tore through her home in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico on Tuesday
Footprints are marked on the mud after Hurricane Fiona passed over the area in Toa Baja
Fallen palm trees lay over the Ports of Call Resort entrance after the passage of Hurricane Fiona in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
A man collects spring water from a mountain in Cayey, Puerto Rico
Nicasio Gil walks through the stagnant water left by the swollen Duey river after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey, Dominican Republic
Neighbors work to recover their belongings from the flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey, Dominican Republic
Residents work to recover belongings from flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey, Dominican Republic
Locals clear mud brought by Hurricane Fiona in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey
Neighbors work to recover their belongings that were saved from the flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona at the Los Sotos neighborhood in Higuey
A man collects donated water bottles for drinking after Hurricane Fiona damaged water supplies in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
Neighbors work to recover their belongings after the flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey, Dominican Republic
Two deaths were recorded in Puerto Rico as a result of the blackout, including one 70-year-old man who burned to death after filling his generator with gasoline as it was running and a 78-year-old man who inhaled toxic gases emitted from his own generator.
More than 1,000 people have been rescued from flood waters on the island.
‘The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,’ Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said. ‘What we don’t want is loss of life.’
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic will be battered with ‘extremely heavy rainfall’ today, in addition to winds as high as 90 mph, according to Eric Blake of the US National Hurricane Center. Hurricane warnings are in effect for most of the eastern part of the DR.
President Joe Biden issued a message Monday to Puerto Rico: ‘We stand with you and we will get through this together.’ The president previously approved an emergency declaration in PR on Sunday.
Most of the island will likely not have power back for several days, according to authorities. The ports are closed and flights out of the main airport have been canceled. Public schools and government agencies were also closed Monday.
Satellite imaging of Hurricane Fiona as it passes over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic
Puerto Ricans emerged to deal with catastrophic flooding and devastation after Hurricane Fiona left the tropical island on it’s knees once again
Horrific aerial footage showed the island many inches under water after the hurricane swept through the area
Fiona wrought ‘catastrophic’ damage to Puerto Rico Sunday, which continues to experience heavy rainfall on Monday. A home is submerged in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico
Children played in a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico September 19, 2022
Residents affected by Hurricane Fiona rest at a storm shelter in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022
A parking area is seen flooded outside the Roberto Clemente Stadium after the passage of hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on September 19, 2022.
Two women retrieve scattered items from around their damaged home in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
A woman waded through a flooded street in Nagua, Dominican Republic, on September 19, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Fiona
Brown water rushed through streets, into homes and even consumed a runway airport in southern Puerto Rico.
Roads were turned into raging torrents as Fiona also ripped up asphalt from roads and washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria.
The storm also ripped off the roofs of several homes, including that of Nelson Cirino in the northern coastal town of Loiza.
‘I was sleeping and saw when the corrugated metal flew off,’ he said as he observed how the rain drenched his belonging.
Ada Vivian Román, a 21-year-old photography student, said the storm knocked down trees and fences in her hometown of Toa Alta.
‘I´m actually very anxious because it’s a really slow-moving hurricane,’ she said.
She said she is also worried about whether the public transportation she relies on to get to her job at a public relations agency will be operating by the time she has to go back to the office.
A family removed mud from their water-logged home in Cayey, Puerto Rico one day after Hurricane Fiona pounded the island
A road is blocked by a mudslide caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday
A man walked on a road flooded by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico
A man in Wheelchair looks at a flooded road after the passage of hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on September 19, 2022
Two young men walk with difficulty due to strong winds during the passage of Hurricane Fiona, in Nagua, Dominican Republic, 19 September 2022
A man used a walker on the beach as he braced for Hurricane Fiona to make landfall in Dominican Republic on September 18, 2022
This was a brand new metal bridge installed after Hurricane Maria in the town of Utuado, Puerto Rico
Residents couldn’t believe their eyes as the bridge simply floated away
While residents are beginning to clean up as of Monday, Puerto Ricans have an immense amount of damage to clean up.
On Sunday, roads were turned into raging torrents while even newly constructed bridges following Hurricane Maria in 2017 were washed away.
The storm also washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017.
Hurricane season runs from mid-August into early October with September, on average, the busiest month of the season.
So far half of all, named storms this season have developed in September.
Many homes are left devastated after flooding consumed a majority of the island
The death toll has raised to four as of Wednesday morning. No missing persons have been reported
Employees remove water from a hardware store after Hurricane Fiona passed through Puerto Rico
National Guards were seen rescuing a woman stranded in her house. Some residents were moved through the help of bulldozers
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