Hurricane Fiona slams Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, Sep 20: Hurricane Fiona dropped torrential rain and powerful winds on the Dominican Republic on Monday after causing widespread power outages and damage in neighboring Puerto Rico.

Multiple roads were flooded or damaged by falling trees and electric poles around the famous resort of Punta Cana, which had suffered from a power outage.

After hitting Puerto Rico hard, Fiona landed on the Dominican Republic near Boca Yuma at 3:30 am local time. The last hurricane to hit the island was Hurricane Jeanne in 2018.

What damage was done?

Severe flooding, leaving several villages isolated, and some 800 evacuees and more than 11,000 people without power in the eastern region of the country were reported after Fiona ravaged the eastern parts of the Dominican Republic.

According to emergency services, nearly 800 people were sheltering in what were presumably safe areas, as 16 of the island's 32 provinces remained on red alert.

"The damage is considerable," said Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. He plans to declare a state of disaster in three provinces.

Several towns were left isolated after the overflow of the Yuma River in the east of the country.

In Puerto Rico, which was still experiencing heavy rainfall, Governor Pedro Pierluisi said the storm had caused "catastrophic" damage since Sunday.

Where is Fiona heading?

Hurricane Fiona was classified as a Category 1 hurricane but will likely become a Category 3 as it continues moving from warm Caribbean waters toward the Turks and Caicos, making it this season's first major Atlantic hurricane. Currently, the hurricane is moving at sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (155 kilometers per hour), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimates.

The NHC warned that the center of Fiona could pass near the east of the archipelago on Tuesday.

In the Bahamas, tropical storm conditions were also expected.

Fiona could come close to tiny Bermuda, but is expected to track out into the ocean by early Tuesday.

Source: DW