Current:Home > InvestBattered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico -Global Finance Compass
Battered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico
View
Date:2025-04-27 17:41:49
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! (1)
Related
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Biden assails Project 2025, a plan to transform government, and Trump’s claim to be unaware of it
- Horoscopes Today, July 6, 2024
- AI company lets dead celebrities read to you. Hear what it sounds like.
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Multiple people injured after Utah fireworks show malfunctions
- Scammers are swiping billions from Americans every year. Worse, most crooks are getting away with it
- Alec Baldwin is about to go on trial in the death of a cinematographer. Here are key things to know
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Margot Robbie Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Tom Ackerley
Ranking
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Lioness Actor Mike Heslin Dies After Suffering Cardiac Event, Husband Says
- Check Out Where All of Your Favorite Olympic Gymnasts Are Now
- Honeymoon now a 'prison nightmare,' after Hurricane Beryl strands couple in Jamaica
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Dangerous, record-breaking heat expected to continue spreading across U.S., forecasters say
- Texas on alert as Beryl churns closer; landfall as hurricane likely
- Crews search Lake Michigan for 2 Chicago-area men who went missing while boating in Indiana waters
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach takes shot at Yankees' player development system
Antisemitism in Europe drives some Jews to seek safety in Israel despite ongoing war in Gaza
Voters in France’s overseas territories kick off a pivotal parliamentary election
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Yankees rookie Ben Rice enters franchise history with three homers against the Red Sox
Missy Elliott is a music trailblazer. Here's what to know about her influence.
The Daily Money: Nostalgia toys are big business