MIAMI — Hurricane Fiona knocked out Puerto Rico’s already fragile electric system Sunday afternoon, leaving millions without power as authorities ask people to stay indoors because of catastrophic flooding.
The U.S. territory is experiencing a blackout across the island, private power utility operator LUMA Energy spokesman Hugo Sorrentini told the Miami Herald. He said the hurricane’s strong winds had caused several interruptions in the grid’s transmission lines, leaving millions without power.
“The current weather conditions are currently extremely dangerous and are hindering our capacity to evaluate the situation,” he said. “We will begin the re-establishment efforts as soon as it is safe.”
Restoring power service for the entire island could take several days, Sorrentini said.
The power company already contacted partners that could help restore power through mutual aid agreements. LUMA’s parent company, Quanta, can deploy up to 5,000 additional workers, Sorrentini said.
“We have the people, we have the equipment, the tools, and the technology,” he said.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi acknowledged the outage on social media and said the electrical system was currently out of service.
“Both LUMA and PREPA personnel are active and ready to respond to the situation once conditions allow,” said Pierluisi.
The island may get 12 to 16 inches of rain with a local maximum of 25, particularly in the south and southeast regions, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday in its 2 p.m. advisory. Fiona’s sustained winds are 85 mph, and it’s expected to continue strengthening as it moves from very close to Puerto Rico’s southwest coast towards the Dominican Republic.
“If you are watching us from Puerto Rico, please stay indoors,” NHC acting director Jamie Rhome said in a live transmission before the outage.
The hurricane — moving at nearly 8 mph — will be a two-day event, and many will likely have to stay put until at least Monday night, Ernesto Rodriguez, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Juan, said Sunday afternoon. A flash flood warning is in effect in dozens of municipalities in the north, east, central and south regions.
“We are expecting significant and even catastrophic flooding in those areas,” Rodriguez said.
The harrowing news comes as Fiona pummels Puerto Rico exactly 33 years after Hurricane Hugo did so and as parts of the island still haven’t recovered from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. It could be the first hurricane since Maria to make landfall on the American territory.
The eye of the storm could enter through southwest Puerto Rico, which was devastated by a string of earthquakes, including a magnitude 6.4 quake, in early 2020. The quakes destroyed schools, businesses and homes.
Dagnes López, a community leader from the region, moved to the town of Lajas from her home in Barrio Fuig, in the nearby municipality of Guánica, after her home was destroyed during the 2020 earthquakes. During Fiona’s arrival, she said the region has seen a lot of wind and rain already.
She is worried about her former neighborhood because if the nearby river overflows its banks, they will lose access in and out of the community. There are several houses that are still in ruins, including her old home. She said the government responds only to situations when “things get hard,” and doesn’t take preventative steps to address emergencies, such as cleaning up rivers before a storm.
“My house looks like the earthquakes happened yesterday,” she said. “Practically my whole neighborhood does.”
Earlier Sunday, President Joe Biden declared a federal state of emergency for Puerto Rico, freeing up FEMA funds to address the anticipated disaster.
Pierluisi had declared a state of emergency Saturday. At a media session following the 11 a.m. advisory, Pierluisi declared classes and government work canceled for Monday. Only public essential service workers or first responders must report.
“Everyone must maintain calm, but not underestimate the storm,” he said.
There are 118 shelters open, with nearly 800 people using them. The court system also suspended regular operations as a result of the upcoming hurricane. All flights in and out of the island are also canceled.
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