Shermain Bique-Charles
18/09/22 21:47

Shermain Bique-Charles
18/09/22 21:47

Fiona kills One in Guadeloupe

Authorities in the French island of Guadeloupe said one person has died after Tropical Storm Fiona dumped several inches of rain on the Caribbean island last night.

When Fiona made landfall on the island, it recorded wind gusts of up to 74 mph, which would be considered a Category 1 hurricane. They also said 9 inches of rain fell in three hours in the Gros Morne area.

Regional prefect Alexandre Rochatte told reporters Saturday that the body was found on the side of a road after floods washed away a home in the capital of Basse-Terre. More than 20 other people were rescued amid heavy wind and rain that left 13,000 customers without power.

Fiona had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). It was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph) on a path forecast to pass near or over Puerto Rico on Sunday night.

Fiona was expected to become a hurricane while moving near Puerto Rico.

Forecasters say the heavy rains anticipated are dangerous because the island’s soil is already saturated.

Meanwhile, many Puerto Ricans worried about serious power outages since the reconstruction of the island’s power grid razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 only recently began.

The grid remains fragile and power outages occur daily, with some 80,000 customers already in the dark on Saturday.

Fiona is expected to swipe past the Dominican Republic on Monday.

Forecasters issued a hurricane watch for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engaño westward to Cabo Caucedo and for the northern coast from Cabo Engaño westward to Puerto Plata. The U.S. Virgin Islands are also under a hurricane watch.

At least one cruise ship visit and several flights to the island were canceled while authorities in the eastern Caribbean islands canceled school and prohibited people from practicing aquatic sports as Fiona battered the region.

Fiona, is the Atlantic hurricane season’s sixth named storm.

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