Hurricane Fiona Slams Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic Causing Catastrophic Flooding

Hurricane Fiona showed its force by unleashing heavy rains, causing major flooding in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Fiona became a Category 2 hurricane on Monday evening with up to 100 mph maximum sustained winds and made landfall on September 18 on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico., Punto Tocon, AccuWeather reported.

On Monday evening, the Associated Press said that Hurricane Fiona was heading northwest at 10mph (17 kph) with 105 mph (165 kph) maximum sustained winds.

The Hurricane was not expected to cause heavy rains in the U.S.

Authorities said that at least four died from the impact of Hurricane Fiona. The Associated Press and other reports revealed the following:

A 70-year-old man died after being burned as he filled with gasoline a running generator.
In Comerio, A 50-year-old died after being swept away by the overflowing La Plata River.
There are no details on the third death in Puerto Rico.
In the Dominican Republic, reports said that a 60-year-old succumbed to death after being a victim of a fallen tree.

Moreover, the Rio Guanajibo River near Hormigueros, in southwestern Puerto Rico, reached 29.2 feet on Monday morning, exceeding the 28.6 of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

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In just three hours, Rio Grande De Manati climbed to 15 feet. It could result in flash flooding and flooding in the area.

Furthermore, the AP reported that 837,000 customers were affected by the water service cut on the islands.

Power Outage

The impact of Hurricane Fiona resulted in over 24-hour power interruption in Puerto Rico's entire island. AccuWeather revealed that 1.3 million had no electrical power on Monday evening.

However, officials said that 100,000 customers, such as hospitals, have their power restored.

The private company handling the power transmission lines in Puerto Rico, Luma Energy, explained that the complete power restoration for all affected communities could require days.

Moreover, AccuWeather shared that the total rainfalls of Hurricane Fiona as of Monday reached:

31.34 inches in Ponce (Lago Cerillos)
27.12 inches in La Plaza
24.68 inches in Playa de Ponce
24.41 in Coamo
24.02 in Barrio Beatriz

News and Weather reporter Manuel Crespo said to AccuWeather that Hurricane Fiona's flooding was worse than people thought.

Before Fiona pounded the islands of Puerto Rico, officials urged the public to remain at home.

The country has also opened shelters for evacuations.

Fiona damages

AccuWeather's Founder and CEO, Dr. Joel N. Myers, said that Fiona would impact Puerto Rico's economy by an estimated $10 billion.

The report also added that Hurricane Maria's impact led to $90 billion in damages. Maria was a Category 4 Hurricane that hit Puerto Rico, leaving catastrophic damage.

Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic, AP reported that 800 people were evacuated, while more than 700 were in shelters. People were advised to stay at home.

AccuWeather stressed that Hurricane Fiona would bring more flooding, damaging wind gust, flash floods, and landslides to the Dominican Republic as it moves away from the Caribbean.

State officials said that the storm's damage could take days to assess.