Hurricane Fiona

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F​iona's center made landfall in the eastern Dominican Republic early Monday morning, bringing with it damaging winds and flooding rainfall. T​railing bands of heavy rain also continue to impact Puerto Rico.

At least one rain gauge near Ponce, Puerto Rico, has measured just over 25 inches of rain in the 24 hours ending early Monday morning. More than two dozen rain gauges have reported over a foot of rain on the island, according to USGS data.

S​torm totals could be near 30 inches in southern portions of Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center said.

T​he Dominican Republic will take the brunt of Fiona's strongest winds through Monday. The southeast Bahamas, Turks and Caicos will then take a brush from Fiona Monday night into Tuesday.

Fiona could pose a serious danger to Bermuda late Thursday into early Friday, then could threaten parts of Atlantic Canada either as a hurricane or an intense post-tropical cyclone Friday night into Saturday.

I​nterests in Bermuda, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland should monitor the forecast of Fiona closely.

Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico’s southwest coast on Sunday as it unleashed landslides, knocked the power grid out and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around.

Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued across the island as floodwaters rose swiftly. Rushing rivers of brown water enveloped cars, first floors and even an airport runway in the island’s southern region.

Forecasters said the storm threatened to dump “historic” levels of rain on Sunday and Monday, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) possible in eastern and southern Puerto Rico.

“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi.

The storm washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. Large landslides also were reported, with water rushing down big slabs of broken asphalt and into gullies.

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 U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving to the west-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

Fiona struck on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm.

The storm’s clouds covered the entire island and tropical storm-force winds extended as far as 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Fiona’s center.

Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution, said bad weather, including winds of 80 mph, had disrupted transmission lines, leading to “a blackout on all the island.”

“Current weather conditions are extremely dangerous and are hindering our capacity to evaluate the complete situation,” it said, adding that it could take several days to fully restore power.

Health centers were running on generators — and some of those had failed. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said crews rushed to repair generators at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, where several patients had to be evacuated.

Fiona hit just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that struck on Sept. 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 as a roof, and infrastructure remains weak, including the power grid. Outages remain common, and reconstruction started only recently.

“I think all of us Puerto Ricans who lived through Maria have that post-traumatic stress of, ‘What is going to happen, how long is it going to last and what needs might we face?’” said Danny Hernández, who works in the capital of San Juan but planned to weather the storm with his parents and family in the western town of Mayaguez.

He said the atmosphere was gloomy at the supermarket as he and others stocked up before the storm hit.

“After Maria, we all experienced scarcity to some extent,” he said.

The storm was forecast to pummel cities and towns along Puerto Rico’s southern coast that have not yet fully recovered from a string of strong earthquakes starting in late 2019.

Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods washed his home away, officials said. The storm also damaged roads, uprooted trees and destroyed at least one bridge.

St. Kitts and Nevis also reported flooding and downed trees, but announced its international airport would reopen on Sunday afternoon.

In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Madeline was forecast to cause heavy rains and flooding across parts of southwestern Mexico. The storm was centered about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes on Sunday night, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph).

Hurricane Fiona strengthens to Category 2
Hurricane Fiona is strengthening again as the center of the storm moves away from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Maximum sustained winds are up to 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.

The tropical storm warning for Puerto Rico has been discontinued as the threat of strong winds has diminished. There is a lingering flood threat as heavy rain from the outer bands continues to impact the island. Additional rainfall of 4 to 8 inches is possible, especially in the heaviest bands, according to the National Hurricane Center's forecast.

The center of Fiona is now located about 130 miles southeast of Grand Turk. On the forecast track, the center of the storm will pass near or to the east of the Turks and Caicos on Tuesday.

“Hurricane conditions are expected in the Turks and Caicos beginning late tonight or early Tuesday,” the hurricane center said.
Beyond tomorrow, Fiona is expected to become a Category 3 or 4 hurricane and pass near or west of Bermuda Thursday night.


More than 1 million people without water as Hurricane Fiona hits Dominican Republic
Hurricane Fiona has knocked 59 aqueducts out of service in the Dominican Republic, with several others partially functioning, leaving more than 1 million customers without running water, said Jose Luis German Mejia, a Dominican Republic emergency management (COE) official.

There's already damage to many structures across the Dominican Republic, said Juan Manuel Mendez, the country's emergency management director of operations. At least 54 homes have been reported damaged so far, he said.

Emergency officials transported 789 people to safety, Mendez said at a briefing Monday. There are currently 519 people in 29 shelters, he said.

There are 10 electric circuits offline currently, but officials did not have an exact number of how many customers were without power.

2 people dead in Puerto Rico shelters from "natural causes," governor says
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said during a press conference Monday at least two people have died at shelters on the island.

Asked if the fatalities were caused by Hurricane Fiona, Pierluisi said they do not know of any traumatic deaths and the two people at the shelters died from natural causes.

“We are confirming these at this time because the institute of forensic sciences has a job to do,” Pierluisi said. “Whatever death, whether it is related directly or indirectly to this event, will be reported. That is what I can say at this time.”
Meanwhile, Pierluisi said there are currently no reports of anyone missing due to the storm.

Key Messages:

1. Heavy rains around the center of Fiona will continue to impact
the Turks and Caicos through this evening with continued
life-threatening flooding. Localized additional flash and urban
flooding is possible in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

2. Hurricane conditions are affecting portions of the Turks and
Caicos islands, while tropical storm conditions should affect
portions of the southeastern Bahamas during the next few hours.

3. Tropical storm conditions are possible on Bermuda by late
Thursday.

4. Fiona is expected to affect portions of Atlantic Canada as a
powerful hurricane-force cyclone late Friday and Saturday, and could
produce significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy
rainfall. Interests in these areas should closely monitor the
progress of Fiona and updates to the forecast.

Hurricane Fiona strengthened overnight to a Category 3 storm as it pummeled the Turks and Caicos Islands after hammering Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

In Puerto Rico, the first major hurricane of the season has already caused widespread devastation, with multiple deaths reported after it dumped more than 2 feet of rain on the island and knocked out the U.S. territory’s electricity supply after making landfall on Sunday.

The storm’s eye passed close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning. Storm surge could raise water levels there by as much as 5 to 8 feet above normal, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center

In Puerto Rico, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said, “The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic.”

He said during a press conference on Tuesday that more rain increased the likelihood for some areas to see additional flooding and landslides.

He said on average, the island saw 10 inches to 16 inches of rainfall, with the hardest-hit areas seeing more than 25 inches.

Pierluisi said on Monday he visited the towns of Yabucoa and Maunabo, both in the southeast region of the island, and was able to see devastation first-hand.

The island saw Hurricane conditions for 48 hours, and winds reached 100 mph, Pierulisi said.

Power was restored to 300,000 residents, but the majority of the island remained without power Tuesday. Pierluisi said he expected a steady and gradual improvement on power restoration throughout the island on Tuesday and into Wednesday, although he did not want to quantify how many islanders he expected to regain power in that time.

As of earlier Tuesday, Luma Energy, the company in charge of power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico, said that as part of its hurricane response, it had restored power to more than 286,000 customers throughout the U.S. territory, representing more than 19% of customers.

Pierulisi said he signed an executive order so residents would have access to food all over the island. Officials said they had 6,000 meals prepared that would feed 10,000 people and were coordinating distribution of 1.7 million pounds of food.

A 58-year-old man was found dead Monday afternoon after being dragged by currents from the river La Plata in the town of Comerío, Telemundo Puerto Rico reported.

And a 70-year-old man from the town of Arecibo died from fire-related injuries after a generator he was using exploded. Emergency personnel said the man was trying to refuel his generator while it was still on, causing the machine to explode.

Officials said two other people who died in shelters during the storm are believed to have passed away from natural causes, but they said they were still waiting for the Institute of Forensic Sciences to confirm that.

The devastation and the sweeping power outages brought by Fiona were a chilling reminder of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit Puerto Rico five years ago as the deadliest natural disaster on U.S. territory in a century. Nearly 3,000 deaths were connected with the storm.

They also come on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm.

Hurricane Fiona has intensified into a Category 4 monster. It now appears it will track west of Bermuda by a decent amount. The closest National Hurricane Center forecast point is almost 150 miles offshore. The Bermuda Meteorological Service has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the island. Impacts will begin tomorrow and last into Friday.

Fiona continues to drag an enhanced tropical moisture flow over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Some tropical downpours will still occur for the rest of the week, but there will be plenty of clear times as well.

About Saturday, Fiona will reach the Maritime Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The hurricane will merge with a northern disturbance to form a large and powerful North Atlantic storm. The Canadian Hurricane Centre is already alerting residents there of a potentially severe storm possessing both tropical and intense winter-storm-type properties but with very heavy rainfall.

Fiona will produce very large ocean waves and dangerous surf from Florida to New England late in the week, as energy in the Atlantic waters from the storm's powerful winds reaches the coast.

Key Messages:

1. Hurricane conditions are possible, and tropical storm conditions
are expected, on Bermuda by late tomorrow.

2. Fiona is expected to affect portions of Atlantic Canada as a
powerful hurricane-force cyclone late Friday and Saturday, and could
produce significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy
rainfall. Interests in these areas should closely monitor the
progress of Fiona and updates to the forecast.

Key Messages:
1. Hurricane conditions are expected on Bermuda tonight through
Friday morning.

2. Fiona is expected to affect portions of Atlantic Canada as a
powerful hurricane-force cyclone late Friday and Saturday, and
significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall
are becoming increasingly likely. Hurricane and Tropical Storm
Watches are in effect for much of Atlantic Canada.

3. Large swells generated by Fiona are expected to cause
life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along much of the
east coast of the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Atlantic
Canada during the next few days.

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians were without power Saturday after former hurricane Fiona slammed into the country’s Atlantic provinces, causing what officials called a shocking and devastating amount of damage.

Trees were downed and power poles were snapped in half, and roofs were ripped off buildings and homes washed away after Fiona made landfall in eastern Nova Scotia around 3 a.m., officials said.

When Fiona made landfall near Whitehead it was a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds of 90 mph, officials said.

“It’s shocking the damage that we’re seeing,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said Saturday.

A storm surge of over 6 feet hit Prince Edward Island. The damage is likely the worst ever seen in the province, and the recovery will take weeks or longer, Premier Dennis King said.

No deaths associated with the storm had been reported by Saturday afternoon.

More than 471,000 customers across Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island New Brunswick and Newfoundland were without power Saturday, according to utilities.

Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg said that some will be without power for “multiple days.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau canceled plans to attend a state funeral in Japan for murdered former prime minister Shinzo Abe. He said the storm was having a “terrible impact.”

“We’re seeing devastating images come out of Port aux Basques,” Trudeau said. “PEI (Prince Edward Island) has experienced storm damage like they’ve never seen. Cape Breton is being hit hard, too, as is Quebec.”

He said the country’s armed forces would be deployed to assist in the aftermath, and the federal government would be ready to help.

In Port aux Basques on the southwestern coast of Newfoundland, evacuations were ordered and Mayor Brian Button said “total devastation” was occurring, the CBC reported.

Video from the news agency showed homes being washed away. Phil Boyles fled because of the storm surge. “I took everything out that I could try to keep, and now it don’t look like I can even get back,” he said, according to the CBC.

The power finally came back on after 2:30 PM today after it went out early morning on Saturday. I'm glad it's back on, but I had to throw out two unopened bags of french fries, a bag of frozen broccoli, and a whole frozen pizza. What a waste. My biggest concern during a major power outage is my food thawing out or going bad, and not being able to cook anything, not even heat up water to make tea. I did sort of manage to heat the water somewhat with the candle-operated fondue maker my brother and sil gave me for Christmas. I tried to call my mother on my cell phone, but it didn't work. Sher tried to call me back as well on her cell phone but when she couldn't she and my uncle actually drove all the way up to see if I was okay. Mom brought me some ham, bread and cookies, which was really nice because I thought I'd going to have to eat cold canned ravioli or something like that for supper. She also brought me a battery-operated lantern that gives off a good amount of light.

I played my Switch until the batteries ran low and then plenty of doodling, reading and playing with my stuffed animals during the outage, but what I really need something that lets me safely heat up food and water indoors for when the next time the power goes out. And something to keep the food fresh in my refrigerator.

It was an inconvenience, but I got through it without any serious problems like the apartment collapsing on me.. Now I just have to cope with the guilt from hearing about all the thousands of people who still don't have power.