Hurricane Fiona has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm as it continues its destructive course north on Wednesday, leaving behind disaster-stricken communities in Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic that must now begin working to the recovery.
Fiona has sustained winds of up to 130 mph with gusts reaching 155 mph, the National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday, and is expected to strengthen further as it moves away from Torquays and Caicos on Wednesday and heads toward Bermuda until the end of the week.
After making landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday, the storm lashed the island and then hit the Dominican Republic, causing catastrophic flooding and leaving critical damage to water and power infrastructure. Most people in the storm’s path were without power or water soon after, officials said.
Turks and Caicos was under a hurricane warning on Tuesday and residents were told to evacuate as sustained winds of up to 125 miles per hour – and even higher gusts – battered the islands, according to the Department of Disaster and Emergency Management of British territory. . Conditions are expected to improve as the storm moves further north.
Several areas of Turks and Caicos experienced power outages across the island, including Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North Caicos and Middle Caicos, according to Acting Governor Anya Williams.
The emergency management department warned that the storms could cause water levels to rise between 5 and 8 feet above normal tide levels. It also warned beachgoers that Fiona’s impact could create “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions”.
While Williams said no deaths or serious injuries had been reported in Turks and Caicos as of Tuesday afternoon, at least five deaths were reported elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Two people died in the Dominican Republic, according to the territory’s emergency operations center: 18-year-old Aurielys Esther Jimenez was struck by a falling power pole while riding a motorcycle, and a man was killed by a tree that fell from strong winds.
One person was reported dead on the French island of Guadeloupe, although officials did not provide further details. In Puerto Rico, at least two are dead, including 58-year-old Gilberto Ayala Aponte who was swept away by a flooded river and 70-year-old José Cruz Román who died in a fire accident while trying to fill his generator, Puerto. Rico governor Pedro Pierluisi said.
The storm is expected to continue heading north through Wednesday, then likely turn northeast and begin approaching Bermuda, the NHC said.
The Bermuda Weather Service has issued a tropical storm watch ahead of the hurricane’s approach. Fiona’s center is forecast to pass about 150 to 200 miles west of Bermuda, but the storm’s increased size could mean the island could be hit by tropical storms.
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The US State Department issued a travel advisory on Tuesday urging US citizens to reconsider travel to Bermuda due to the potential impact of the storm. The department also authorized family members of US government personnel to leave the island in anticipation of the storm.
“American citizens in Bermuda who wish to leave the island should depart now, prior to the arrival of Hurricane Fiona,” the advisory said. “US citizens in Bermuda who require immediate emergency services should contact local authorities.”
Many in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are still struggling with the effects of the storm and will likely face a protracted relief and recovery process.
After an island-wide blackout left Puerto Rico’s 3.1 million residents without power, only about 300,000 customers had power restored as of Tuesday afternoon, according to LUMA Energy, the private company that manages the power grid. Island’s.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Rojas/Reuters
A man in El Ceibo, Dominican Republic looks at his home after Hurricane Fiona on Tuesday, September 20.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Stephanie Rojas/AP
A photo album belonging to Luis Ramos Rosario lies in the mud inside his home after it was flooded by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Streets are flooded in Salinas Beach after Hurricane Fiona passed through Salinas, Puerto Rico on Monday, September 19.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Members of the Puerto Rico National Guard rescued a woman who was trapped in her home in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
A member of the Puerto Rico National Guard searches for people in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Stephanie Rojas/AP
Residents affected by Hurricane Fiona rest in a storm shelter Monday in Salinas.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Children swim in a flooded road in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
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A woman stands outside her flooded home in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
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A person cooks in the dark Monday after power was out in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
A woman clears debris from her flooded property in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Nelson Cirino looks into his bedroom after Hurricane Fiona’s winds tore the roof off his home in Loiza, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, September 18.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
People clear a street of a fallen tree in Yauco, Puerto Rico, on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
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This satellite image shows Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Nelson Cirino secures the windows of his home as the winds of Hurricane Fiona blow through Loíza on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Rojas/Reuters
State Social Plan workers prepare food rations in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Jetsabel Osorio stands at her home in Loíza on Saturday, September 17. It was damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona hits the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Boats sit secured in mangroves as Fiona approaches Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on Saturday.
Governor Pierluigi…
