HHurricane Fiona has made landfall in Puerto Rico. This was announced by the US hurricane center in Miami, Florida on Sunday. “Fiona” therefore reached the southwest coast of the Caribbean island near Punta Tocón with wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. The cyclone had gained strength over the Atlantic and was upgraded to a hurricane en route to Puerto Rico.
The electricity on the Caribbean island was completely gone. “The power grid is currently down due to the effects of the hurricane,” Governor Pedro Pierluisi wrote on social media. According to the electricity provider Luma Energy, it could take several days to restore power.
The hurricane center warned of torrential rain and mudslides for the US territory of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. “These levels of rainfall will cause life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding in Puerto Rico and parts of the eastern Dominican Republic, as well as mudslides and landslides at higher elevations.”
Puerto Rico, an island of just over three million people, is often exposed to storms during hurricane season. Hurricane Maria in particular had devastating consequences in 2017 and claimed around 3,000 lives. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June to November.
