Current:Home > MarketsBattered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico -PrestigeTrade
Battered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico
View
Date:2025-04-23 13:36:27
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
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Court revives Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit against The New York Times
- 4 fatal shootings by Mississippi law officers were justified, state’s attorney general says
- Cheerleader drops sexual harassment lawsuit against Northwestern University
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Massachusetts strikes down a 67-year-old switchblade ban, cites landmark Supreme Court gun decision
- Jury returns to deliberations in trial of former politician accused of killing Las Vegas reporter
- 15 must-see fall movies, from 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' to 'Joker 2'
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Full of battle scars, Cam McCormick proudly heads into 9th college football season
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Breaks in main water pipeline for Grand Canyon prompt shutdown of overnight hotel stays
- Massachusetts strikes down a 67-year-old switchblade ban, cites landmark Supreme Court gun decision
- Peloton's former billionaire CEO says he 'lost all my money' when he left exercise company
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Searchers find a missing plane and human remains in Michigan’s Lake Huron after 17 years
- Pennsylvania ammo plant boosts production of key artillery shell in Ukraine’s fight against Russia
- Armie Hammer Reveals He’s Selling His Truck Since He “Can’t Afford the Gas Anymore”
Recommendation
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
California Climate and Health Groups Urge Legislators to Pass Polluter Pays Bills
'Beloved' father who was clearing storm drains identified as victim of Alaska landslide
Woman shot at White Sox game sues team and stadium authority
Bodycam footage shows high
San Diego police identify the officer killed in a collision with a speeding vehicle
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova knocked out in the second round of the US Open
Hard Knocks recap: Velus Jones Jr., Ian Wheeler, Austin Reed get one last chance to impress Bears