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Biden issues emergency declaration in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Fiona

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  • President Biden issued an emergency declaration in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Fiona.
  • Hurricane Fiona hit the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico on Sunday when it unleashed landslides, knocked out the power grid and ripped asphalt from roads.
  • “The damage we are seeing is catastrophic,” said the governor.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico in the face of Hurricane Fiona. Hurricane Fiona hit the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico on Sunday when it unleashed mudslides, brought down the power grid and ripped asphalt from roads, flinging bits and pieces around.

Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued across the island as the waters rose rapidly. Mighty rivers of brown water engulfed cars, first floors and even a landing strip in the southern region of the island, according to The Associated Press.

“The damage is catastrophic”

hurricane fiona
Photo: AP

Forecasters said the storm threatened to reach «historic» levels of rain on Sunday and Monday, with a chance of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) in eastern and southern Puerto Rico.

«The damage we are seeing is catastrophic,» Governor Pedro Pierluisi said. The storm washed away a bridge in the central mountain city of Utuado, which according to policeman was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Large landslides were also reported, with water running down huge slabs of broken asphalt and into ravines.

Record rain expected on Monday

hurricane fiona
Photo: AP

Fiona was centered 45 miles (75 kilometers ) south-southeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) on Sunday night, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

It was moving west-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph). Fiona struck on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which struck Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm. Storm clouds blanketed the entire island and tropical storm-force winds extended up to 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Fiona’s center.

Extremely dangerous conditions

Puerto Rico
Photo: AP

US President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for the US territory as the eye of the storm approached the southwestern corner of the island. Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution, said bad weather, including 80mph winds, had disrupted transmission lines, causing «an island-wide blackout.»

«Current weather conditions are extremely dangerous and are hampering our ability to assess the full situation,» he said, adding that it could take several days to fully restore power.

Puerto Rico hit by storms and hurricanes

dangerous conditions
Photo: AP

According to the AP, Fiona arrived just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that hit on September 20, 2017, destroying the island’s power grid and causing nearly 3,000 deaths. More than 3,000 homes still have only a blue tarp for a roof, and infrastructure remains weak, including the power grid. Outages are still common, and rebuilding only recently began.

“I think all of us Puerto Ricans who live in Maria have that post-traumatic stress of ‘What’s going to happen, how long is it going to last and what can we face?’” said Danny Hernández, who works in the capital of San Juan.

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