Strengthening Fiona Barrels Toward Turks And Caicos Islands

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A strengthening Hurricane Fiona headed toward the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as it threatened to intensify into a Category 3 storm, prompting the government to impose a curfew.

Forecasters said Fiona could become a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday, when it is expected to pass near British territory.

“Storms are unpredictable,” Prime Minister Washington Missick said in a statement in London, where he was attending Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. “Therefore, you must take every precaution to keep you safe.”

Missick was due to go home on Thursday.

Fiona was 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Grand Turk late Monday. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph (17 km/h).

A 58-year-old man died after being swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio, police said.

Another death, officials said, was related to a power outage — a 70-year-old man burned to death after trying to top up a generator while it was running.

The National Guard rescued more than 900 people as floodwaters continued to rip through towns in eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain expected in some areas. Multiple landslides have also been reported.

The blow from Fiona was more devastating because Puerto Rico has yet to recover from Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people and knocked out the power grid in 2017. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered in blue tarps.

Authorities said at least 1,300 people and about 250 pets were left in shelters on the island.

Fiona triggered power outages when it struck the southwest corner of Puerto Rico on Sunday, the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit the island as a Category 3 storm in 1989.

By Monday evening, authorities said they had restored power to more than 114,000 customers on the island’s population of 3.2 million.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi warned that it could take days for everyone to have electricity.

Officials say more than 837,000 customers — two-thirds of the island’s population — have been cut off from water service due to cloudy water at the filter plant or a lack of electricity.

The forecast calls for Fiona to grow into a major hurricane of Category 3 or higher. It was passing on its way close to the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday and is not expected to threaten the continental United States.

In the Dominican Republic, authorities reported one death: a man who was hit by a falling tree. The storm displaced more than 12,400 people and cut off at least two communities.

The hurricane blocked several highways and a tourist pier in the town of Miches was badly damaged by high waves. Officials said at least four international airports were closed.

Dominican President Luis Abinader said it would take several days for authorities to assess the storm’s impact.

Fiona had previously struck the eastern Caribbean, killing a man on the French territory of Guadeloupe when floodwaters washed away his home, officials said.