Puerto Rico has been left without electricity this Sunday due to the passage of Hurricane Fiona, whose strong winds and heavy rains are already felt on the Caribbean island. According to the PowerOutage.us portal, the blackout affects a total of 1,468,223 customers.
According to the latest bulletin from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Fiona is located about 80 kilometers from the coast of the island. It is specified that the cyclone generates maximum sustained winds of 128 kilometers per hour, with gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
The NHC reported that heavy rains will continue until tonight in the south and east of the island, registering from today until Monday in the Dominican Republic. These rains will produce life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with landslides and landslides in areas of higher ground.
This same day, the US president, Joe Biden, had declared a state of emergency on the island. “President Joe Biden declared that an emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and ordered federal assistance to supplement Commonwealth and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fiona, which began on September 17, 2022 and continues,” the statement read.
In addition, the local authorities of Puerto Rico will be provided with the equipment and aid resources provided in the event of a disaster to “alleviate the difficulties and suffering caused by the emergency in the local population.”
(With information from RT in Spanish)