new tropical storm approaches Cuba and Florida

One week after Hurricane Fiona

Hundreds of thousands still without power after hurricane in Puerto Rico – new tropical storm approaches Cuba and Florida

CAYEY, PUERTO RICO – SEPTEMBER 19: Downed power lines on road PR-743 in Cayey ,Puerto Rico as the island awoke to a general power outage on September 19, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hurricane Fiona struck this Caribbean nation causing extensive damages related to flooding after many towns in the mountainous and southern region received in some cases over twenty inches of rain. (Photo by Jose Jimenez/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

© Quelle: Getty Images

A week after Hurricane Fiona, power has not yet been fully restored in Puerto Rico. As the clean-up efforts continue there, a new tropical storm is approaching Cuba and Florida. “Ian” is likely to become a hurricane on Monday and continue to gain strength thereafter.

San Juan. A week after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of people have yet to have power restored. Around 44 percent of the connections still had no power on Sunday, according to a tweet from the electricity provider Luma Energy. According to the AAA water authority, the water supply had not yet been restored for 19 percent of the connections. Some people are still cut off from the outside world, said civil protection chief Nino Correa in a Facebook video.

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Almost exactly five years ago, the devastating hurricane “Maria” hit the Caribbean US territory with a good three million inhabitants and cost the lives of almost 3,000 people. Puerto Rico’s infrastructure was still suffering when the center of “Fiona” made landfall on September 18 as a category one of five hurricane. Floods, landslides and destruction occurred. The US government promised quick help.

Flooded homes on Salinas Beach after Hurricane Fiona swept through the area. The hurricane hit Puerto Rico with torrential rain and dangerous flooding. The electricity went out completely.

© Quelle: Alejandro Granadillo/AP/dpa

According to a statement from the Puerto Rico Department of Health on Saturday, quoted by local media, 16 deaths have been recorded in connection with Hurricane Fiona. One of them was directly and three indirectly caused by the storm, the remaining twelve are being investigated. Agriculture Minister Ramón González Beiró estimated the damage caused to agriculture on Sunday at more than 100 million US dollars (103 million euros), as reported by the newspaper “El Nuevo Día”.

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Because of the unreliable energy supply with frequent power cuts and simultaneously rising prices, there had already been protests in Puerto Rico before “Fiona”. According to media reports, anger grew after the storm at the work of the provider Luma Energy – a private company that last year took over the power supply to the island and maintenance of the grid.

“Ian” will probably become a hurricane – heading towards Cuba and Florida

An increasingly stronger tropical storm is heading for Cuba and the US state of Florida. Storm “Ian” is expected to become a hurricane on Monday and then continue to gain strength, the US hurricane center NHC said on Sunday (local time). It is expected that the storm center will first pass over or close to the Cayman Islands on Monday and over or close to western Cuba from Tuesday night (local time).

Significantly strong winds and storm surges are expected in the western part of Cuba, it said. The water level there could rise up to four meters above normal. The area around the capital Havana was also affected by tropical storm conditions. The expected large amounts of rain could cause flash floods and mudslides in higher areas of Cuba as well as Jamaica.

According to the information, heavy rain, flash floods and flooding are also expected in Florida by the middle of the week, first in the Florida Keys island chain and then further north. The governor of the southeastern US state, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency as a precaution and called on the population to take precautions. US President Joe Biden, who wanted to travel to Florida for a campaign event on Tuesday, postponed the trip because of the storm.

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RND/dpa