Hurricane Fiona kills three, Puerto Rico still without power for days

In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, three people were killed when Hurricane Fiona swept through the islands. The hurricane destroyed almost all of Puerto Rico on Sunday. According to the governor, Pedro Pierluisi, the restoration of the electricity network could take days.

The victims died from falling trees or drowning. Fiona also caused problems yesterday due to continued heavy rain. The National Guard rescued over 900 people from distress, there is still a risk of flooding, and most Puerto Ricans currently do not have clean tap water.

Fiona left Puerto Rico for the Dominican Republic. Hundreds of people were evacuated there and flooding was reported in many places. Several villages have thus cut themselves off from the outside world.

Dominican President Abinader said it will take a few days to fully understand the effects of the hurricane, but the damage is “considerable”. The last time the country was hit hard by a hurricane was in 2018.

Fiona is now heading north towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. The hurricane is expected to increase in strength over warm water, from Category 1 to Category 3. This is the third highest category. A hurricane warning was issued for the archipelago by the US Hurricane Center NHC.