How Fiona’s Destruction Compares to Devastating Hurricane Maria
More than a million people in Puerto Rico are without electricity on Wednesday—and many lack phone service or running water—after Hurricane Fiona battered the archipelago this week with 100 mph-plus winds and heavy rain that have so far left at least two dead, a number that could rise further, according to officials.
The National Weather Service says the Category 4 storm, which overwhelmed parts of the island with up to 32 inches of rain, is headed northward toward Bermuda and parallel to the United States. Before veering off the island, the hurricane’s heavy winds and catastrophic rain caused massive flooding and mudslides, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Wednesday.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi on Wednesday said that he hopes “a large part” of the island will regain power by the end of the evening. Since Tuesday, LUMA Energy announced it has restored power to about 95,000 residents—meaning only about 27 percent of the island has power, with nearly 1.1 million Puerto Ricans in the dark. According to Bayamón Mayor Ramon Luis Rivera, most of his city is without electricity, including four hospitals. Jose González, the mayor of Juaya, told El Nuevo Día on Wednesday that his city has not yet received “tank trucks” of relief supplies and that at least 100 homes are devastated after floods and landslides.
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