Flooding in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Fiona.Photo: AFP via Getty
Hurricane Fiona continues to strengthen as it barrels toward its next two main targets: Bermuda and Canada.
TheNational Hurricane Centerupgraded Fiona to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, with its maximum sustained winds reaching 130 mph. “Some additional strengthening” is predicted through Wednesday night.
The storm is expected to hit Bermuda late Thursday, with 2 to 4 inches of rain predicted for the island, per the NHC’s forecast.
TheU.S. State Departmenthas urged travelers to reconsider visiting Bermuda “due to the potential impact of Hurricane Fiona” in a travel advisory issued Tuesday.
Hurricane Fiona has already left mass devastation in places like Puerto Rico, which was left entirely without power on Monday as the stormslammed into the islandas a Category 1 storm.
Flooding in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Fiona.Caribbean Air and Marine Branch/ZUMA Press Wire
The hurricane dropped 6 to 20 inches of rain on the island, which triggered landslides and floods that damaged homes, washed-out bridges and brought down power lines, according toUSA Today.
Keith Turi, FEMA assistant administrator for recovery, said at least four people have died in the Caribbean, per the report.
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Many Puerto Ricans have fled the devastation, which comes five years after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island. Andy Roldan told ABC affiliateWCVBthat the situation in there “is critical right now.”
Carmen Peña also told WCVB that the situation at home is “bad.”
“We didn’t have radio. No light. No water. Nothing,” Peña said at Boston Logan International Airport on Tuesday, shortly after his flight from Puerto Rico landed.
“I just called my aunt and asked her if they have any help,” he continued. “They said no.”
“We didn’t want to stay there,” Rivera told the outlet. “But that’s really sad; that’s the place you were born.”
Governor Pedro Pierluisi requested a major disaster declaration on Tuesday following the “catastrophic” damage caused to Puerto Rico, according toUSA Today.
Three days after the storm, only 26% of the population’s power had been restored, per the outlet. More than a million people remain without power as of Wednesday morning, according toPowerOutage.us.
Family in Puerto Rico cleans up after Hurricane Fiona hits.Ricardo Hernandez/AP/Shutterstock
The Dominican Republic is also struggling following Hurricane Fiona, with nearly 2 million customers left without water as of Tuesday evening, according to Major General Juan Méndez García, reportsCNN.
Over 600 homes have been damaged in the Dominican Republic, as have at least 23 roads and 18 bridges, García added.
“Fiona is forecast to be a hurricane-force cyclone through Saturday,” the NHC said on Wednesday.
source: people.com
