AA / Istanbul
Hurricane “Fiona” made landfall in Puerto Rico, USA, causing a blackout on the island.
Associated Press (AP) Fiona hit Puerto Rico’s southwest coast on Sunday and caused power outages across the island.
Citing meteorologists, the AP said, “Historic amounts of rainfall are expected to lead to catastrophic landslides and flooding, with up to 64 centimeters of flooding possible in isolated areas.”
“Now is the time to take action,” Nino Correa, Puerto Rico’s emergency management commissioner, said in a press release.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, Fiona had sustained winds of 140 km/h and made landfall about 25 km southeast of the city of Mayaguez.
The storm’s currents covered the entire island, and winds blew up to 220 km from its center.
US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico as the hurricane’s center approaches the island’s southwest.
“Adverse weather, including high winds, disrupted power lines and led to blackouts on the island,” Luma Energy, which operates the island’s electricity distribution networks, said in a statement.
“The current weather conditions are very dangerous and it is impossible to assess the entire situation,” says Luma Energy.
Also, it should be pointed out that “it may take several days to fully restore power.”
Regarding the breakdown of some generators at health facilities, Puerto Rico’s Health Secretary Carlos Melloto said, “Experts are working to restore the generators as quickly as possible at the Center for the Fight Against Cancer.”
Fiona hit the island two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that hit the island on September 20, 2017, knocking out power grids and killing nearly 3,000 people.
* Translated from Arabic by Mourad Belhaj
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