“It’s important people understand that this is not over.”
Weather service meteorologist in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ernesto Morales. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, and surrounding islands such as the Dominican Republic. It is the first Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic ocean this year.
sep 20, 2022
Why It Matters: Hurricane Fiona is the largest hurricane in the Atlantic this year. It made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday, with at least one area receiving as much as 32 inches of rainfall. The hurricane's center, which is currently near Grand Turk Island (capital island of the Turks and Caicos Islands) has 115 mph winds.
- Expected path: It will likely remain off of the U.S. East Coast for the remainder of the week, though could make landfall in eastern Canada early this weekend.
- Impact so far: Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have seen extensive damage. Puerto Rico has experienced widespread water and power outages, with the island's approx. 3 million people without electricity at one point. The Dominican Republic has also faced electric and water outages.
- Something to Consider: Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 Puerto Ricans and caused extensive damage to the power grid, hit five years ago this week. "It’s painful that we are here again. Now we are in not one but two recovery processes: what was left over from Maria, where we haven’t made much progress, and now we have to add everything that happened with this hurricane,” said one town's mayor, Rafael Surillo Ruiz.
A full damage assessment will not be possible for at least a few more days, or until water has receded.
Fiona dumps more rain on Puerto Rico; troops rescue hundreds (The Associated Press)
Fiona Becomes First Major Hurricane of 2022 Season Near Grand Turk Island (Weather.com)
