Current:Home > NewsBattered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico-LoTradeCoin
Battered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico
View Date:2024-12-24 01:01:56
Hurricane Fiona made landfall in the Dominican Republic on Monday morning, as millions in Puerto Rico face flash flooding, mudslides and an island-wide blackout.
The National Hurricane Center warned that the Category 1 hurricane is moving into the Atlantic and is likely to strengthen. Fiona, which is traveling with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, is forecast to travel near or east of the Turks and Caicos Islands as early as Monday night.
In Puerto Rico, the full extent of the damage is still unclear as the storm has unleashed torrential rains across much of the island, causing massive flooding and landslides. Island officials have said that some roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged or washed away as a result of the downpour.
Most of the island also remains without power, according to utility companies' reports tracked by PowerOutage.us. More than 775,000 residents also have no access to clean water.
The latest hurricane to batter the U.S. territory, Fiona struck two days before the fifth anniversary of Maria, the devastating storm that killed more than 3,000 people and nearly destroyed the island's electricity system.
On Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi called the damages to the island's housing and fragile infrastructure from the Category 1 storm "catastrophic."
"In many areas, flooding is worse than what we saw during Hurricane Maria," Pierluisi said during a press briefing.
"So far we've gotten about 30 inches of rain, even in areas where they had never experienced flooding," he added.
Heavy rainfall and life-threatening flooding risks are expected to last through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The saturation "will also continue to trigger mudslides and rockfall in areas of steep terrain."
Fiona's powerful winds and the subsequent deluge of rainfall knocked out the island's power grid, throwing the island into a blackout. Officials have said it will take several days to fully restore service to over a million residents.
Shortly after the hurricane struck on Sunday, Pierluisi said it would be a "matter of days," and not months, to fully restore the grid — referring to the drawn-out power restoration after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Since then, the island's power crews were able to restore electricity to about 100,000 customers living in the northeast region near the capital San Juan, Luma Energy, the island's private electric utility, wrote on Facebook.
President Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Sunday, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Adrian Florido contributed reporting.
veryGood! (8733)
Related
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- 'Orange is the New Black' star Taryn Manning apologizes for video rant about alleged affair
- Lily Allen Reveals Her Dad Called the Police When She Lost Her Virginity at Age 12
- 'Error in judgement:' Mississippi police apologize for detaining 10-year-old
- Man charged with murder in fatal shooting of 2 workers at Chicago’s Navy Pier
- Britney Spears and Sam Asghari Break Up After One Year of Marriage
- Meryl Streep, Oprah, Michael B. Jordan to be honored at Academy Museum's 2023 gala
- Huge explosion at gas station kills at least 35 in Dagestan in far southwestern Russia
- Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
- Muslim mob attacks 3 churches after accusing Christian man of desecrating Quran in eastern Pakistan
Ranking
- Man jailed after Tuskegee University shooting says he fired his gun, but denies shooting at anyone
- Death toll from devastating Maui fire reaches 106, as county begins identifying victims
- Family of American prisoner moved to house in arrest in Iran incredibly nervous about what happens next
- Mother drowns trying to save son at waterfall and father rescues another son trapped by boulders
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- You Only Have 24 Hours To Get 59% Off a Limitless Portable Charger, Plus Free Shipping
- Everything we know about the US soldier detained in North Korea
- 2 years since Taliban retook Afghanistan, its secluded supreme leader rules from the shadows
Recommendation
-
Trump’s economic agenda for his second term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
-
Man sentenced to 11 years for sexual assault of girl during remote-learning class
-
People's Choice Country Awards 2023 Nominees: See the Complete List
-
Madonna announces new North American dates for her Celebration Tour
-
NY forest ranger dies fighting fires as air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey
-
Former Brazilian miltary police officer convicted in 2015 deaths arrested in New Hampshire
-
'Error in judgement:' Mississippi police apologize for detaining 10-year-old
-
Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74