Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic late Sunday afternoon into early Monday morning. “The hurricane made landfall […] with severe winds up to 75 miles per hour and bringing six to 24 inches of rain in some areas,” according to CNN.
The storm is currently a category 3 hurricane, and it has winds of up to 100 mph. Fiona made landfall in Turks and Caicos Tuesday morning. The storm is only expected to strengthen and become a major hurricane in the coming days.
According to the National Hurricane Center, a category 3 storm has winds ranging from 111-129 mph and can inflict “devastating damage.” In 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria which destroyed many homes with tough winds, a disaster that the U.S. territory is still recovering from. Many think that Hurricane Fiona, however, has hit the island even harder with the intense rain and flooding, leaving millions of people without power and water.
President Biden spoke with Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierlusi late Monday afternoon on how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide economic relief and supplies to help the island recover from the damages of the storm. The entire island is without power, and many people are without water. Massive flooding is destroying homes, and crews are working around the clock to rescue people from extreme areas of flooding.
According to CNN, states like New York, New Jersey and California will send first responders to aid in the relief effort in Puerto Rico. FEMA is sending 400 officials to the island to aid in relief as well.
Hurricane Fiona is also impacting conditions on many east coast beaches. According to CNN, the National Weather Service warns that tide conditions on east coast beaches could be dangerous. The storm could create strong rip currents and unsafe surfing conditions.
Fiona is not expected to make landfall in the United States. According to AP News, the storm is expected to become a Category 4 tropical storm and make landfall in Bermuda Friday. Until then, Fiona is leaving a trail of disaster in many Caribbean islands and is only expected to grow stronger.
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