Hurricane Fiona Category 4 storm intensifies overnight after hitting Turks and Caicos Islands Massive destruction in Puerto Rico and the dominican republic.
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Gaston, strengthened in the Atlantic, increasing gusts with maximum sustained winds increasing to nearly 50 miles per hour early Wednesday.
The National Hurricane Center warned that swells generated by Gaston could affect the Azores, an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, later this week, causing the current state of life-threatening waves and rifts.
By late Wednesday, Fiona was about 550 miles southwest of Bermuda and is expected to pass west of it Thursday night, according to the Hurricane Center.
The storm’s maximum sustained wind was 130 mph and was moving north at 10 mph.
The British island nation of Bermuda has a hurricane advisory and a tropical storm warning in effect, with two to four inches of rain likely, the center said in an update late Wednesday.
“Storm tides will raise water levels along Bermuda’s coast in land-wind areas beginning Thursday night,” the center said.
Multiple deaths have been reported so far in Fiona’s footsteps as Puerto Rico continues to grapple with widespread devastation, including widespread power outages and water supply problems.
A 78-year-old man was found dead, and a 70-year-old woman appears to have been affected by gases released by a generator at a residence in the Las Granjas area, according to the island’s fire department. A dead dog was also found at the scene, officials said. Officials said the house had all windows and canopy gates closed.
As of late Tuesday, more than 1.1 million customers across the US territory were still without power, according to online trackers. Poweroutage.usThis equates to almost a third of the population.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said at a press conference on Tuesday He expected a steady and gradual improvement in power restoration across the island.
But he warned that more rains would increase the chances of flooding and landslides in some areas. On average, the island receives 10 to 16 inches of rainfall, with the hardest-hit areas receiving more than 25 inches of rain, he said.
Pierluigi said he signed a presidential decree to give residents access to food throughout the island.
The storm’s devastating effects came as Puerto Rico marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria. Hurricane Maria was the worst natural disaster to hit the US territory in her century, and the island is still recovering.
It also unfolded on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico as a Category 3 storm 33 years ago.
As the region is currently grappling with the aftermath of a new storm, some residents have expressed concerns about response efforts.
“Puerto Rico is not ready for this or anything,” Marianji Hernández, a 48-year-old housewife, told The Associated Press.
She said despite ongoing efforts to clear streets and restore power, the community of about 300 doubts it will receive long-term support from the government.
“It’s only for a few days, and then they forget about us.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been helping respond to Fiona after President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency in Puerto Rico on Sunday.FEMA officials visited the territory on Tuesday to investigate the damage. To compensate for response efforts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency on the island as it dispatched a team to the territory.
Joe Studley, Antonio Planas, Nicole Duarte When Associated Press contributed.