Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for the American island, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide him with assistance.
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Hurricane Fiona knocked out power to the US island of Puerto Rico on Sunday, September 18, dumping torrential rains and causing damage “considerable”, according to the governor. The cyclone notably caused landslides, brought down trees and power lines, made roads impassable, and led to the collapse of a bridge in a mountainous region, said Pedro Pierluisi. Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for the island, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide him with assistance.
The hurricane struck at 3:20 p.m. local time on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico, carrying winds blowing up to 140 km / h. It is now off the island and is expected to hit the Dominican Republic on Monday. However, torrential rains were expected in Puerto Rico overnight, raising fears of “catastrophic flash floods and urban flooding”alerted the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The depression, which on Sunday upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to strengthen and become “important within 48 hours” according to the NHC, before heading north towards the Atlantic Ocean. Fiona has already killed one person and caused significant damage during her visit to Guadeloupe, on the night of Friday to Saturday. Emmanuel Macron announced the mobilization of the relief fund for the Overseas Territories to help the department, and asked the Minister for Overseas Territories, Jean-François Carenco, to go there.