Hurricane Fiona hits the Dominican Republic after wreaking havoc in Puerto Rico

First modification: 09/19/2022 – 17:54Last modification: 09/19/2022 – 17:52

Flooded streets, blocked roads and downed power poles are a consequence of the rainfall that fell in the early hours of this September 19 in the sectors of Bávaro, Verón and Friusa, in the tourist resort of Punta Cana, AFP journalists confirmed. There is no electricity in the area.

Winds and rains also punished Nagua (in the north), as verified by this agency.

The local press, at the same time, reports flooding in other coastal towns of this Caribbean country, such as Higüey.

“The eye of Hurricane Fiona made landfall on the coast of the Dominican Republic near Boca de Yuma at 03:30 (07:30 GMT),” with estimated winds of 150 km / h, “the National Hurricane Center said on Twitter. of the United States (NHC).

The rains will continue “at least until Thursday,” Francisco Holguín, from the National Meteorological Office (Onamet), said in a television interview.

The Dominican Emergency Operations Center announced on Monday that three new regions were declared on red alert, bringing 16 of the country’s 32 provinces, located in the north and east, under that figure. There is still no official balance of damages.

The government suspended the working day on Monday.

Fiona wreaked havoc in Puerto Rico on Sunday, with torrential rains that left the island without power and prompted US President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency, a measure that frees up federal funds for relief efforts. .

The Category 1 hurricane, the lowest of five on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is expected to “strengthen” in the coming hours, the NHC said.

Fiona had already left serious damage in her wake on Friday night in Guadeloupe, where a man was dragged away with his house by a rising river.

“catastrophic damage”

The storm caused a general blackout in Puerto Rico from shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, reported the Electric Power Authority, a public company in charge of electricity generation.

“The damage we are seeing is catastrophic in several areas,” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said at a press conference on Sunday.

Authorities reported serious damage in many towns in this US territory, including falling trees and power lines, landslides, and road blockages.

In Utuado, a town in the center of the island, the flooding of a river swept away a bridge, Pierluisi said.

An inhabitant of that city, Fernando Vera, was concerned about the future in statements to US radio NPR and recalled Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico almost five years ago.

“We are still fighting for the consequences of Maria and it is a bit difficult to know that we are probably going to have to start over,” he lamented.

According to local media, several rivers overflowed their banks in the southeast of the island, flooding roads and urban areas; and in the mountains and the southwestern area, several families lost the roof of their houses due to gusts of wind and had to take shelter in shelters authorized by the government.

The hurricane left some 196,000 people without drinking water, due to blackouts and flooding of rivers, authorities said.

The authorities of Puerto Rico suspended classes this Monday, as well as the working day in the public sector, except for those who occupy critical positions or provide essential services during the emergency.

With the passage of Hurricane Maria, which caused almost 3,000 deaths in Puerto Rico in 2017, the island was cut off from communication and large areas were without electricity for months.

The warming of the ocean surface, according to experts, increases the frequency of the most virulent hurricanes, with stronger winds and more intense rains.