In an effort to keep travelers and locals safe, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane alert for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Over the past few days, Tropical Storm Fiona has transformed into a Category 1 hurricane that will affect both tourist hotspots this coming Saturday or Sunday.
Initially a tropical storm, Fiona has been upgraded to the title of a hurricane since there have been reported wind gusts of 74 miles per hour and over. This now-hurricane has claimed the lives of some individuals in the Caribbean and is expected to affect both tourist hotspots as well as a few other islands in the area.
Since Fiona is traveling from the southeast, it’s expected to create major hazards in the southernmost section of the territories it hits.
Experts suggest that Fiona could drop up to 20 inches of rain on these U.S. territories, which could lead to landslides, mudslides, flash flooding, and other natural disasters.
Residents and visitors should expect major power outages during and after the hurricane hits. Many flights and cruises to Puerto Rico have been confirmed to be canceled, and residents are currently boarding up windows in preparation for the natural disaster.
This surely isn’t Puerto Rico’s first massive storm, as many residents remember Hurricane Maria affecting the area back in September of 2017. That category 5 hurricane completely devastated the entire northeast Caribbean and was recorded to be the worst natural disaster to hit the area on record, costing an upward of $91 billion in damages.