The southern and southwestern areas of Puerto Rico yesterday received the direct impact of hurricane fionawhose eye made landfall between Lajas and Cabo Rojodestroying structures with gust winds of up to 103 miles per hour and causing flooding and landslides due to the accumulation of between eight and 13 inches of rain, in what is already shaping up as a multi-million dollar catastrophe.
Fiona, whose effects were felt throughout Puerto Rico and predict a long recovery, also caused a general blackout, deteriorated maritime conditions and left at least 1,325 refugees, a figure that threatened to increase last night.
Due to the flooding of rivers, hundreds of people were evicted and rescued, both by the National Guard and by municipal authorities, in towns such as Caguas, Cayey, Maunabo, Yabucoa, Salinas, Guayama and Bayamón, among others.
In Utuado, families were left incommunicado by the collapse of two bridges; and across the country, dozens of highways remained impassable due to landslides and fallen trees and utility poles.
The governor Pedro Pierluisi reported that, as of today, the damage analysis will begin, with the expectation of having a detailed picture in the coming days.
According to him National Hurricane Center (NHC, in English), the eye of Fiona entered through Punta Tocón, at 3:20 pm, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. It was the first hurricane to hit Puerto Rican soil since Maria, whose fifth anniversary is tomorrow.
The gust of 103 miles per hour was recorded in Ponce, detailed Ernest Moralesnotices coordinator National Weather Service (SNM). He added that the rains associated with the cyclone will continue today and possibly tomorrow, and may accumulate up to 30 inches.
President Joe Biden yesterday approved an emergency declaration, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, in English) assist the state government in immediate protective measures. Then, a disaster declaration may be issued to assist in recovery.
At press time, there were no known significant incidents in the eastern and northwestern areas, while mayors in the south and southwestern areas had not been able to go out to update their damage reports because conditions continued to deteriorate.
“This is a disaster”
Earlier, the mayor of San Germán, Virgilio Olivera, anticipated that Fiona’s effects in the Southwest would be devastating. At 5:00 pm, the Guanajibo and Duey rivers had burst their banks and a large part of the roads in this town were cut off. “This is a disaster, honestly. The situation in this area is going to be very strong, ”she lamented.
His counterpart from Maricao, Wilfredo Ruizreported that 300 to 400 families from his municipality and Sabana Grande were cut off because the PR-120 highway, which connects both towns, was blocked.
Olivera, Ruiz and the mayor of Lajas, Jayson Maldonado, lamented that few citizens responded to the call to mobilize to the shelters, despite residing in areas susceptible to floods, landslides and other threats.
In Guánica and Yauco, the concern of the mayors Ismael “Titi” Rodríguez and Ángel Luis Torres, respectively, was the damage caused by Fiona on the structures affected, in 2020, by the earthquakes. In both towns, there are families still waiting for new residences.
“We are a people that is hurt by the previous earthquakes and hurricanes, and that is one of our concerns. But, we are also a resilient people, and those experiences have taught us,” Rodríguez said.
On the other hand, the mayor of Maunabo, Angel Omar Lafuente, reported that a 70-year-old man lost the roof of his wooden residence, in the Hemajagua community, due to the winds. The man, who was in good condition, was escorted to the home of a relative.
Lafuente added that personnel from the Maunabo Municipal Emergency Management Office (OMME) rescued a family that was trapped on PR-759. He said that the water from the Maunabo River was entering his residence and they decided to leave, but they were caught.
The National Guard and the OMME of Salinas evicted part of the Playa, Playita communities and the Las Margaritas urbanization, since the Nigua River threatened to overflow its banks.
Carlos Reyesdirector of the Guayama Zone of the Bureau for Emergency Management and Disaster Administration (Nmead), added that some 20 people were also evicted in the Mosquito community, in that town, due to the storm surge.
In Juana Díaz, six families also lost their roofs, in the Jacaguas, Arús, Río Cañas Arriba and Río Cañas Abajo neighborhoods, said the director of OMME, Ángel Feliciano. He acknowledged that access to houses was made difficult by the number of fallen trees on the roads.
Meanwhile, in Villalba, Jayuya and Adjuntas, the concern was landslides due to the rains.
Gerardo E. Alvarado contributed to this note.