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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 18 (Reuters) – Most of the island of Puerto Rico was without power on Sunday as Hurricane Fiona made landfall, causing severe flooding and landslides before heading towards the Dominican Republic, a government agency said.
The storm’s center made landfall on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast near Punta Tocon at 3:20 p.m. ET (1920 GMT) with maximum sustained winds of about 85 miles (140 kilometers) per hour, clearing the threshold of a Category 1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.
The NHC said the storm was causing “catastrophic flooding” by early Sunday evening.
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Power was initially completely out on the island of 3.3 million people, LUMA Energy, the island’s grid operator and Puerto Rico’s power authority, said late Sunday. Officials said that evening that some power had begun to be restored, but it would take several days to bring the entire island back online.
At a press conference in the capital San Juan on Sunday night, LUMA spokesman Abner Gómez said the entire electrical system had first been shut down to protect its infrastructure. He said some power was being restored and hospitals and other critical community services were being prioritized.
“This has been catastrophic,” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said at the news conference. “We are responding to the emergency when weather conditions permit.”
Several landslides have been reported, officials said. Roads were closed and a highway bridge in Utuado, a town in the center of the island, had been washed away by a river flood.
Ports in Puerto Rico have been closed and flights from the main airport have been canceled. Torrential rain and mudslides were also forecast in the Dominican Republic as the storm moves northwest, and the Turks and Caicos Islands are likely to face tropical storm conditions on Tuesday, the NHC said.
“These rains will produce catastrophic and potentially fatal flash flooding and urban flooding in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic,” the agency said.
A man stands in front of strong winds from Hurricane Fiona in Ponce, Puerto Rico, September 18, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
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US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said agency officials deployed to Puerto Rico would assist with restoration efforts “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The rains have increased in intensity since Sunday morning, along with strong gusts of wind, residents said.
Denise Rios, who lives in the southwestern town of Hormigueros, said she was without power after a strong gust of wind and rain that began around noon.
“It hasn’t stopped since,” he said. “It’s raining a lot and the wind is blowing hard. I’m calm, but alert.”
According to the NHC, a wide swath of Puerto Rico was expected to get between 30 and 40 cm of rain, while parts could be hit with up to 25 inches (63.5 cm).
Puerto Rico’s grid remains fragile after September 2017’s Hurricane Maria caused the largest blackout in US history. In that Category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost power with 80% of power lines down.
Authorities have opened more than 100 shelters and closed beaches and casinos, and residents were urged to seek shelter.
So far one death linked to Fiona has been reported on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Authorities said a man was found dead Saturday after his home was swept away by floodwaters. France will recognize a state of natural disaster for Guadeloupe, President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter on Sunday. Read more
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Report by Ivelisse Rivera in San Juan; Additional reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Conn., and Tim Reid in Los Angeles; Editing by Grant McCool, Lisa Shumaker, Daniel Wallis and Richard Chang
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