Fiona declares category 4 hurricane as it heads toward Bermuda

Fiona declares category 4 hurricane as it heads toward Bermuda

The US National Hurricane Center reports that Fiona has strengthened into a category four storm after it moved away from the Turks and Caicos Islands.

According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Fiona has become a category four hurricane while it moves from the Turks and Caicos Islands toward Bermuda.

According to the hurricane was approximately 1,215 km (755 mi) southwest of Bermuda and had maximum winds of 130mph (220 km/h).

A category four hurricane is considered the second-highest level of the Saffir–Simpson scale.

“Swells coming from Fiona will reach Bermuda by Thursday morning,” the NHC stated. According to the NHC advisory, the swells could create dangerous surf conditions and rip currents.

Fiona attacked the Turks and Caicos Islands Tuesday, after leaving a trail that left destruction in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and killing at most five people.

“Hurricane Fiona is an unpredictable storm,” Anya Williams (deputy governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands) said in a broadcast.

Williams stated that no injuries or casualties were reported in the Turks and Caicos Islands. However, she encouraged residents to stay put and shelter.

Grand Turk was hit with blackouts and several other archipelago islands were affected. 165 people were taken to shelters and she added that the Royal Navy of Great Britain and the United States Coast Guard was available to help.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader declared the following eastern provinces disaster zones: La Altagracia, home to Punta Cana El Seibo, and Hato Mayor.

On Tuesday, authorities said that more than 10,000 people were moved to “safe zones” and that approximately 400,000 remain without electricity.

US President Joe Biden declared Puerto Rico a state emergency and sent the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s head to the island. Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

After a visit with Pedro Pierluisi (the island’s governor), Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator, stated that “we are sending hundreds more personnel to support all affected communities.”

Pierluisi stated that the storm caused severe damage to the island of three million people. Some areas received more than 30 inches (760mm), of rain since Sunday.

Michelle Carlo, the medical advisor for Direct Relief in Puerto Rico, said that “a lot of people in Puerto Rico are currently suffering right now.”

Carlo stated that about 80 percent of Puerto Ricans remain without power, and 65 percent without water service.

Pierluisi stated that Fiona caused landslides in Puerto Rico and blocked roads. She also toppled trees and power lines, as well as bridges.

After years of financial troubles and recession, Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy in 2017.

Later in the year, hurricanes Maria and Irma struck twice, causing further misery on the island. This was a devastating blow to the island’s electrical grid, which had suffered for many years from severe infrastructure issues.

In an attempt to solve the blackout problem, the grid was privatized in June 2021. However, the issue persisted and the whole island lost power earlier in the year.