Hurricane Fiona strikes Puerto Rico

Floodwaters submerged parts of Puerto Rico on Sunday as Hurricane Fiona roared ashore on the island’s southwestern coast with sustained winds of 85 mph. It ripped off roofs and toppled palm trees. The National Hurricane Center predicted even greater losses from landslides associated with the flooding.

How severe is the damage? Forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding from historic levels of rain, with up to 25 inches possible in isolated areas. The storm knocked out power, plunging the entire island into darkness. Fiona hit just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which struck in 2017. That storm destroyed the island’s power grid and killed nearly 3,000 people.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Muncy’s report in The Sift about ongoing problems with the Puerto Rican power grid.