Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to become a hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico on Saturday, threatening to dump up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain as people brace for potential mudslides, flooding and power outages. .
The storm previously hit several Windward Islands in the eastern Caribbean. In the French territory of Guadeloupe, one death was reported from the passage of the storm. The body was found on the side of a road after floodwaters swept away a house in the capital of Basse-Terre, regional prefect Alexandre Rochette told reporters on Saturday. More than 20 people were rescued amid strong winds and rain that left 13,000 people without power.
Fiona was located 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix on Saturday morning with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). She was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph) on a track that is forecast to pass near or over Puerto Rico on Sunday night.
Fiona is expected to become a hurricane as it moves near Puerto Rico.
“We are already beginning to feel its effects,” said Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi. “We should not underestimate this storm.”
The anticipated heavy rains are dangerous because the island’s soil is already saturated, the governor said. Meanwhile, many Puerto Ricans are concerned about severe power outages since rebuilding the island’s power grid, leveled by Hurricane Maria in 2017, recently began. The grid remains fragile, and power outages occur daily.
Fiona is expected to pass through the Dominican Republic on Sunday as a potential hurricane and through Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday and Tuesday with the threat of extreme rains.
meteorologists issued a hurricane watch for the US Virgin Islands, as well as for the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engaño west to Cabo Caucedo and for the north coast from Cabo Engaño west to Puerto Plata.
In Puerto Rico, under a hurricane warning, authorities opened shelters and closed public beaches, casinos, theaters and museums and urged people to stay home. Officials also transferred hundreds of endangered Puerto Rican parrots to a shelter.
“It is time to activate your emergency plan and contact and help your relatives, especially older adults who live alone,” said Dr. Gloria Amador, who runs a nonprofit health organization in central Puerto Rico. .
Pierluisi said $550 million in emergency funds are available to deal with the storm’s aftermath along with enough food for 200,000 people for 20 days to eat three times a day.
At least one cruise ship visit and several flights to the island were cancelled, while authorities in the eastern Caribbean islands canceled classes and banned people from water sports as Fiona hit the region.
On the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, authorities said they recorded wind gusts of up to 74 mph (120 kph), which would be considered a Category 1 hurricane. They also said 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain fell in three hours. in the Gros Morne area.
Fiona, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was predicted to bring 13 to 25 centimeters (5 to 10 inches) of rain across eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) in isolated places. Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) was forecast for the Dominican Republic, with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) in places. Fiona’s winds could also cause life-threatening waves, forecasters said.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lester in the eastern Pacific was on a projected path that could make landfall near the Acapulco area of Mexico’s southwestern coast on Saturday night.
Lester was expected to remain a tropical storm until it hit the Mexican coast. Meteorologists warned of the potential dangers of heavy rain.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) on Friday night. Its center was 85 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Acapulco and it was moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).
There was a tropical storm warning from Puerto Escondido to Zihuatanejo. The hurricane center said Lester could bring 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain on the coasts of the upper state of Guerrero and the state of Michoacán, with isolated areas receiving 12 inches (30 centimeters).
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