- Hurricane Fiona has made landfall in Puerto Rico.
- The cyclone had gained strength over the Atlantic and was upgraded to a hurricane en route to Puerto Rico.
- Meanwhile, southern Japan is being hit by the 14th typhoon of the season with “unprecedented” strong gusts of wind.
Hurricane “Fiona” hit the southwest coast of the Caribbean island near Punta Tocón with wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour.
Legend:
The government warns that flash floods in Puerto Rico are life-threatening.
Keystone/Stephanie Rojas
The electricity on the Caribbean island was completely gone. “The power grid is currently out of service due to the impact of the hurricane,” Governor Pedro Pierluisi wrote on social media. According to the electricity provider Luma Energy, it could take several days to restore power.
The hurricane center warned of torrential rain and mudslides for the US territory Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. “These levels of rainfall will cause life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding in Puerto Rico and parts of the eastern Dominican Republic, as well as mudslides and landslides in higher areas.”
Puerto Rico, an island of just over three million people, is often exposed to storms during hurricane season. Hurricane Maria in particular had devastating consequences in 2017 and claimed around 3,000 lives. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June to November.
Japan is also hit by storms
An unusually violent typhoon with strong squalls and heavy rain has hit southern Japan. Around four million households were asked to get to safety, as the television station NHK reported on Monday night (local time). Train and air travel was affected.
Legend:
Japan has called on its people to stay safe from the typhoon.
Keystone/Kyodo News
On Sunday evening (local time), the 14th typhoon of the season made landfall on the southwestern main island of Kyushu near the city of Kagoshima, the national weather agency announced.
NHK has already reported isolated injuries, but there were initially no reports of major damage or fatalities. The weather authority warned of the danger of “unprecedented” strong gusts of wind, high waves and landslides as a result of the heavy rainfall.