Hurricane Fiona is wreaking havoc in Puerto Rico.
The storm caused the entire island to lose power early Sunday morning, and the heavy rainfall is “already causing catastrophic flooding,” CNN reports.
The power outage affected all 3.2 million people on the island, per PowerOutage.us.
The hurricane made landfall around the same time as Hurricane Maria five years ago, which devastated the island. Many Puerto Ricans are still trying to recover from its tragic effects, according to USA Today.
“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said, per USA Today.
The Hurricane Center predict 30 inches of rain by Monday morning, so citizens are advised to avoid flooded areas, if possible, per The Washington Post.
As Puerto Rico‘s governor was briefing the island ahead of Fiona‘s impact the lights went out. The governor has already said LUMA Energy - the private company in charge of transmission & distribution of electricity on the island - is on probation with him. pic.twitter.com/YVEnPPcnZp
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 17, 2022
CBS News correspondent David Begnaud tweeted that, “As Puerto Rico’s governor was briefing the island ahead of Fiona’s impact the lights went out...”
Puerto Rico’s government set up preps.pr.gov, a website for residents to find updates and learn about other resources they could access for help.
President Joe Biden approved Puerto Rico’s emergency declaration Sunday morning to free up federal resources to provide assistance in supporting the local disaster-relief efforts,” The Washington Post reports.
Hurricane warnings continue in Puerto Rico, as well as in parts of the Dominican Republic, per ABC News.