Hurricane Fiona

On September 17th, Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico. The damage caused by Hurricane Fiona left many Puerto Rico citizens at stake.

Hurricane Fiona is listed as a category 4 hurricane and brought rainfall, flooding, and landslides to Puerto Rico. Some areas in Puerto Rico got as much as thirty inches of rain, in comparison to other areas that got at least three to twelve inches during the storm. But during the days of the storm, communities all over Puerto Rico have dealt with several inches of rain and flooding.

The U.S Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency on the island because of all the rainfall and flooding from Hurricane Fiona. This was followed by President Biden’s disaster declaration. The Puerto Rico National Guard rescued 21 elders at an elderly home because landslides had threatened the home’s structure, while an infantry group in Mayagüez municipality rescued 59 people from a flooded community. Unfortunately, these were just in areas rescuers were able to reach. 

Hurricane Fiona has also left more than 900,000 citizens without power. Puerto Rico’s power system was not fully fixed and still has some difficulties from Hurricane Maria that hit the island in September 2017. Another problem is the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority reported that more 760,000 citizens had no water services or dealing with interruptions.

Hurricane Fiona hit the island at the time when Puerto Rico hadn’t fully recovered from the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, which was in category 4 when it hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, leaving 3,000 people dead and costing more than $100 billion to repair damage from it. The devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Maria have left Puerto Rico hundreds and million dollars in economic debt.

After Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona continued up north with harsh winds of 130 miles per hour, and is only getting stronger. While Hurricane Fiona is continuing up north, passing by Bermuda, East Canada and the Virgin Islands, it won’t hit the U.S. The East Coast will have huge waves, rip currents and coastal flooding from Florida to Maine while the storm passes by. 

Since then, Hurricane Fiona has now disappeared, but the destruction it caused will leave a huge impact on the places and people the hurricane has affected.