Hurricane Fiona Strengthens to Category 3 Storm After Hitting Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona has intensified into a Category 3 storm and is headed to the Turks and Caicos Islands, one day after the storm caused at least two deaths, and widespread damage and power outages in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is strengthening, moving toward the north-northwest at 10 mph as of Tuesday morning, and it will approach Grand Turk and the other eastern Turks and Caicos in "the next few hours."
With maximum sustained winds currently near 115 mph, it could become a Category 4 storm in the next few days, according to NBC News.
RELATED: Hurricane Fiona: How You Can Help People in Puerto Rico Affected by the Storm
On Monday, Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi estimated "billions" in damages and alerted residents that rain over the island is expected to continue through Tuesday evening, The Washington Post reported.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Downed power lines in Cayey, Puerto Rico, which awoke to a general power outage Monday from Hurricane Fiona
Pierluisi said at a news conference that more than 1,000 stranded residents in 25 municipalities had been rescued, and he urged others to remain indoors, The New York Times reported.
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"We are going through a difficult moment but our people are strong and very generous," he said, according to ABC News.
RELATED: Hurricane Fiona Causes Entire Island of Puerto Rico to Lose Power
Stephanie Rojas/AP/Shutterstock
A resident of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, died after attempting to fill his generator with gasoline while the generator was running, setting it ablaze, ABC News reported. A second man, 58, was killed when he was swept away by La Plata River in Comerío, according to CNN.
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Early Monday morning, more than 1.3 million Puerto Rican customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration on Sunday, directing federal agencies to coordinate disaster relief.
