WATCH: Entire Island of Puerto Rico Without Power as Hurricane Fiona Makes Landfall
Puerto Rico endured some very unfortunate déjà vu as Hurricane Fiona made landfall Sunday, the latest storm in recent years to devastate the island’s power grid.
In September 2017, Puerto Rico was walloped by two Category 5 storms just weeks apart, Hurricanes Irma and Maria, causing billions of dollars of damage and leaving millions of people without electricity or running water.
Fiona is, thankfully, only a Category 1 at this point, but that still entails wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour, causing landslides and flash floods.
The entire island lost power as the storm made landfall, reported CNN Newsroom anchor Jim Acosta, affecting “roughly 3 million Americans.” Puerto Rico’s main utility company estimated it “could take several days until power is restored,” he added.
CNN correspondent Leyla Santiago reported live from the capital city of San Juan, and commented that the “island-wide power outage” had been going on for about an hour, with local residents remembering their experiences during Irma and Maria, being without power for months. One woman told Santiago that she “gets real anxious and she gets really tense, worried” when the power goes out, recalling how she had been without electricity for about a year after Maria.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi urged everyone to stay home, citing a risk of mud slides and flash floods, Santiago reported. According to CNN, utility authorities have reassured residents that improvements have been made since Maria and, with the help of local government, they expect repairs to be completed within days, not months.
“Long night in the dark, I’m sure, for people there in Puerto Rico,” said Acosta, turning to CNN metrologist Chad Myers.
“Every storm has a personality,” said Myers, and Fiona’s profile was “a flash flood machine,” as the storm had dumped 15 to 20 inches of rain on top of the island,” showing flash flood warnings across the map.
Fiona was not expected to hit the continental U.S., Myers added, but could be a “pretty close call” for Bermuda, expected to reach Category 3 when it approached.
“Thinking about all those folks in Puerto Rico tonight,” said Acosta.
Watch the video above, via CNN.
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