Hurricane Fiona Tears Across Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic

Hurricane Fiona powered across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic (DR) over the past few days. The storm knocked out power and disrupted water service. Officials are calling the damage catastrophic.

The storm brought heavy rains and tropical storm-force winds. Pavement was ripped up and roads were flooded. Airports and other public areas filled with gushing brown water. Nearly 9 in 10 residents were left without safe running water.

Puerto Rico is a US territory in the Caribbean Sea. It's still recovering from a hurricane in 2017. That storm killed nearly 3,000 people. It caused great damage to the island's electrical grid. Thousands of homes on the island were never fully fixed. Some still use tarps for roofs. Now, Fiona has battered them even more.

Power remained out for all 3 million Puerto Ricans. As of Monday evening, only one death had been reported. It will be days before most people see power restored, officials said.

Up to 26 inches of rain fell in some areas of Puerto Rico, weather forecasters said. As much as 15 inches were forecast today for sections of the DR. The DR is also an island nation in the Caribbean. 

Fiona ripped roofs off homes and poured water inside. “I was sleeping and saw when the corrugated metal flew off,” one resident told The Associated Press. He said he could only watch helplessly as rain drenched his belongings.

President Biden declared a state of emergency. That frees up federal aid to help Puerto Ricans.

Photo from Reuters.