On Monday, September 19, 2022, in what has been called a catastrophe by authorities, after causing power outages, Hurricane Fiona unleashed floods and landslides all over Puerto Rico, causing massive damage.
No fatalities have been reported yet, but it is too early to make any conclusions as heavy rains are projected to continue to pound the island.
Ernesto Morales, a National Weather Service meteorologist, warned people to be cautious and understand that the flooding was not over, adding that flooding had reached “historic levels.”
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi added that the damages the island was experiencing were catastrophic. The floods consumed a runway airport in Southern Puerto Rico as water rushed through the streets and into homes.
Hurricane Fiona also tore asphalt from roads, ripped a bridge apart, and washed it away in the town of Utuado. According to authorities, the bridge was installed by the National Guard after category four storm Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017.
Fiona ripped off roofs in several houses, including resident Nelson Cirino’s house in the town of Loiza. Cirino said he was in bed when the storm tore his corrugated metal roof off and he witnessed the whole thing.
Ada Vivian Roman, a photography student, said that the hurricane had already knocked down fences and trees in Toa Alta. She was upset because the storm was moving slowly and wondered if the public transportation that she relied on every day would be operational so she could return to work.
US National Hurricane Center officials said that Hurricane Fiona was traveling slowly to the northwest at about 9 mph. It was centered 50 miles southeast of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 90 mph on Sunday night.
Fiona hit on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, a category three storm that slammed the island in 1989.
Weather forecasters predict the storm will possibly be near Bermuda as a major hurricane on Thursday or Friday.
President Joe Biden pronounced a state of emergency for Puerto Rico as Fiona neared the southwest corner. On Monday, he reassured the people of Puerto Rico of his continued support through his official Twitter account.
Hurricane Maria in 2017 destroyed the entire island’s power grid and resulted in the death of almost 3,000 people. Power in some neighborhoods took over a year to be restored.
Luma, the island’s power transmission and distribution company, reported that winds of 50 mph and intense weather had interrupted transmission lines on Sunday, causing a blackout.
Several patients had to be moved from the Comprehensive Cancer Center when the facility’s generators failed. Health Minister Carlos Mercado assured families that technicians had rushed to repair the generators.
Hurricane warnings were posted for the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos.
Hurricane Fiona plowed through Eastern Caribbean and killed a man in Guadeloupe, washing his home away with him.
Puerto Rico has had its share of destruction and will need years of help to recover.