Fiona, heading to Bermuda after her devastating passage through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

First modification: 09/21/2022 – 23:07

The powerful Hurricane Fiona is heading with winds of up to 215 kilometers per hour towards Bermuda, after its devastating passage through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where at least eight and two people would have died (respectively) and vast areas were left without electricity service and drinking water .

The US National Hurricane Center expects the storm to strengthen further as it moves north towards Bermuda, where it is expected to pass Thursday night, but reports that it does not expect the British Isles to be hit. straight.

“Hopefully, the core of the storm will remain to the west, but it could still move east and hit Bermuda,” said Eric Blake, acting head of the NHC in Miami, noting that large swells and currents are expected on the coast. eastern US as the storm moves toward Canada, where it is forecast to hit on Friday.

The Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch and warned of possible hurricane-force winds. He indicated that on Thursday and Friday “outer rain bands will sweep the region bringing gusts of showers, thunderstorms and heavy rains.”

Bermudian National Security Minister Michael Weeks said the Bermuda government considers Fiona’s passage a threat to be taken “very seriously” and is preparing to avoid deaths when its impact is felt in the territory.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm surge could raise the water level 1.5 to 2 meters above normal.

Fiona arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday. The passage of her has left, according to the authorities, a few trees and electrical poles affected in Grand Turk, although telecommunications suffered heavy damage. The British Territory’s Minister for Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, Akierra Missick, said: “Fiona has been up against us for the past few hours, and we still haven’t come out.”

Fiona remembers María after passing through Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, 73% of the population continues to have their electricity supply cut off; meanwhile, 41% of the users of the aqueduct network still do not have access to water.

In the central mountain city of Cayey, the overflow of the Plato River swept away cars and houses, and beds and large refrigerators were seen in residents’ yards.

For Mariangy Hernández, an affected housewife, “Puerto Rico is not prepared for this, or for anything” and stated that she doubted that her community of 300 inhabitants would receive help from the government in the long term. “This is only for a couple of days and then they forget about us,” she assured.

The US National Guard was trying to clear a landslide that affected a highway, while drivers rushed to get to the other side to help cut down trees, remove mud and debris.

In Cayey, Hurricane Maria left parts of the city without power for a year. Still, five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps. In 2017, the US government of then President Donald Trump was criticized for its scant aid to the island.

On Tuesday, the governor, Pedro Pierluisi, had requested the declaration of a serious catastrophe, and said that the authorities will take at least a week to determine the magnitude and “catastrophic” damage caused by the rain.

On his Twitter account, Pierluisi announced that they had the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA and “the entire federal government,” he said.

FEMA traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday and announced the dispatch of additional personnel to boost local response efforts. The US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency on the island and deployed teams.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would push for the federal government to cover 100% of disaster response costs and not the usual 75%. “We have to make sure that this time, Puerto Rico has absolutely everything they need, as quickly as possible, for as long as they need it.”

In the Dominican Republic, 12,500 displaced

On the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic suffered severe flooding after the passage of Fiona. Some 12,500 people had to leave their homes and some 406,000 citizens were left without electricity.

Access to some towns was restricted, a tourist pier in the city of Miches was affected, and at least four international airports were closed. Dominican President Luis Abinader said authorities would need several days to assess the effects of the storm.

With Reuters, EFE and AP