Current:Home > ContactBattered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico -FutureProof Finance
Battered by Hurricane Fiona, this is what a blackout looks like across Puerto Rico
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:49:25
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! (62)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Runners off the blocks: Minneapolis marathon canceled hours before start time
- Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44M children amid tight security
- S-W-I-F-T? Taylor Swift mania takes over Chiefs vs. Jets game amid Travis Kelce dating rumors
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Massive emergency alert test scheduled to hit your phone on Wednesday. Here's what to know.
- Journalist dies after being shot 7 times in his home; no arrests made
- Remains of Ohio WWII seaman killed during Pearl Harbor attack identified; will be buried in November
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Nobel Prize goes to scientists who made mRNA COVID vaccines possible
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- A grizzly bear attack leaves 2 people dead in western Canada. Park rangers kill the bear
- Judge plans May trial for US Sen. Bob Menendez in bribery case
- Powerball jackpot grows as no winners were drawn Saturday. When is the next drawing?
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- GBI investigating fatal shooting of armed man by officers who say he was making threats
- As the 'water tower of Asia' dries out, villagers learn to recharge their springs
- Malaysians urged not to panic-buy local rice after import prices for the staple rise substantially
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
'I’m tired of (expletive) losing': Raiders' struggles gnaw at team's biggest stars
8-year prison sentence for New Hampshire man convicted of running unlicensed bitcoin business
Journalist dies after being shot 7 times in his home; no arrests made
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
Adam Copeland, aka Edge, makes AEW debut in massive signing, addresses WWE departure
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $267 million ahead of Sept. 29 drawing. See Friday's winning numbers
5 killed in Illinois truck crash apparently died from ammonia exposure: Coroner