Hundreds of residents were evacuated in Puerto Rico as raging floodwater from the rainfall brought in by Hurricane Fiona rose rapidly.
Hurricane Fiona hit the US Territory on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which struck Puerto Rico 33 years ago.
8 to 12 inches of rain have already fallen over widespread areas on the island, according to the most recent observations. However, localized areas have had confirmed reports of over 20 inches of rain, with more still yet to come.
Hurricane Fiona threatened to dump “historic” levels of rain on the island yesterday and today, with up to 32 inches (810 mm) not being out of the question in eastern and southern parts of Puerto Rico.
Raging floodwater flooded the first floors and even an airport runway in Puerto Rico’s southern region.
Puerto Rico’s governor announced that the US Territory’s electrical system went completely out of service due to Fiona, sending over a million residents into a blackout state yesterday.
A transmission grid knocked out 1.4-million tracked residents of the island yesterday evening, according to PowerOutage.US.
Outages were at over 500,000 residents Sunday morning before the territory-wide blackout. Internet outages across the island also spiked as the power went out.
LUMA Energy, which operates Puerto Rico’s electricity grid, said it “could take several days” to restore service.
Puerto Rico’s medical facilities are running on generators, some of which have already failed. Local crews were rushed to repair generators at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, where several patients had to be evacuated.
“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” Puerto Rico’s Governor Pedro Pierluisi said,
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico as the eye of the storm approached the US Territory’s southwest corner.
