By MARICARMEN RIVERA SANCHEZ and DÁNICA COTO
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona unleashed extra rain on Puerto Rico on Monday, a day after the storm knocked out energy and water to a lot of the island, and National Guard troops rescued a whole bunch of people that obtained stranded.
The governor warned that it might take days to get the lights again on.
The blow from Fiona was made extra devastating as a result of Puerto Rico has but to get well from Hurricane Maria, which killed practically 3,000 folks and destroyed the ability grid in 2017. Five years later, greater than 3,000 properties on the island are nonetheless coated by blue tarps.
The storm stripped pavement from roads, tore off roofs and despatched torrents pouring into properties. It additionally took out a bridge and flooded two airports.
Authorities reported one dying from the hurricane — a person swept away by a flooded river within the inland city of Comerio.
Puerto Rico officers mentioned it was too early to know the total scope of harm. The storm was nonetheless anticipated to dump as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain in some locations because it spun away from the U.S. territory that’s house to three.2 million folks.
One dying was related to the blackout — a 70-year-old man who was burned to dying after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline whereas it was working, officers mentioned.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declined to say how lengthy it will take to completely restore electrical energy, however he mentioned for many prospects it will be “a question of days.”
Since the beginning of the storm, National Guard troops have rescued greater than 900 folks, Gen. José Reyes informed a information convention.
Meanwhile within the Dominican Republic, authorities closed ports and seashores and informed most individuals to remain house from work. The authorities reported one dying from falling timber.
Nearly 800 folks have been evacuated to safer areas, and greater than 700 have been in shelters, officers mentioned.
The hurricane left a number of highways blocked, and a vacationer pier within the city of Miches was badly broken by excessive waves. At least 4 worldwide airports have been closed, officers mentioned.
The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, mentioned authorities would wish a number of days to evaluate the storm’s results.
Back in Puerto Rico, the National Weather Service workplace mentioned flash flooding was occurring in south-central components of the island and tweeted, “MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!”
Up to 22 inches (56 centimeters) of rain fell in some areas of Puerto Rico and forecasters mentioned one other 4 to eight inches might fall because the storm strikes away, with much more attainable in some locations.
“It’s important people understand that this is not over,” mentioned Ernesto Morales, a climate service meteorologist in San Juan.
He mentioned flooding reached “historic levels,” with authorities evacuating or rescuing a whole bunch of individuals throughout Puerto Rico.
“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” Pierluisi mentioned.
Water service was lower to greater than 837,000 prospects — two thirds of the whole on the island — due to turbid water at filtration vegetation or lack of energy, officers mentioned.
Before daybreak Monday, authorities in a ship navigated the flooded streets of the north coast city of Catano and used a megaphone to alert folks that the pumps had collapsed, urging them to evacuate as quickly as attainable.
Authorities mentioned at the least 1,300 folks spent the evening in shelters throughout the island.
Brown water poured into streets and houses and closed airports in Ponce and Mayaguez.
The system additionally ripped asphalt from roads and washed away a bridge within the central mountain city of Utuado that police mentioned was put in by the National Guard after Maria hit as a Category 4 storm.
Fiona additionally tore the roofs off properties, together with that of Nelson Cirino within the northern coastal city of Loiza.
“I was sleeping and saw when the corrugated metal flew off,” he mentioned as he watched rain drench his belongings and wind whip his colourful curtains into the air.
By early afternoon, Fiona had moved into the open Atlantic, the place it was projected to strengthen, based on the National Hurricane Center. It was not anticipated to threaten the U.S. mainland.
At 2 p.m. Monday, it was centered about 165 miles (270 kilometers) southeast of Grand Turk Island and was heading northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), with most sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph).
Tropical storm-force winds prolonged for 140 miles (220 kilometers) from the middle.
U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency as the attention of the storm approached the island’s southwest nook.
Puerto Rico’s well being facilities have been working on mills, and a few of these failed. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado mentioned crews rushed to restore mills on the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the place a number of sufferers needed to be evacuated.
Fiona beforehand battered the jap Caribbean, killing one man within the French territory of Guadeloupe when floodwaters washed his house away, officers mentioned.
The system hit Puerto Rico on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which slammed into the island in 1989 as a Category 3 storm.
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Coto reported from Havana.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”