1 dead as Hurricane Fiona hits the Dominican Republic
Theresa Braine, KATE FELDMAN
At least one person died in the Dominican Republic on Monday after being struck by a falling tree as Hurricane Fiona swept through the Caribbean nation a day after leaving most of Puerto Rico without power and water.
Heavy rains and winds up to 90 mph battered the Dominican Republic , according to the National Hurricane Center. The slow-moving storm, which hit the D.R. around 3:30 a.m., was creeping along at just 8 mph.
Ports and beaches were closed, and people were told to stay home from work as nearly 800 people were evacuated to safer locations and another 700 sought refuge in shelters, officials said.
By Monday night the storm had moved northwest and was expected to pass near Turks and Caicos before edging north on Wednesday, the center said.
“Steady strengthening is expected during the next couple of days, and Fiona is forecast to become a major hurricane [by] Tuesday,” the center said, adding that it could become a Category 3 or greater.
Residents stand amid their homes that were damaged by Hurricane Fiona in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Veron de Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Monday.
Residents stand amid their homes that were damaged by Hurricane Fiona in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Veron de Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Monday. (Ricardo Hernandez/)
After battering Puerto Rico, Fiona was expected to drop up to 10 more inches of rain across parts of the island before it was done, adding to catastrophic flooding. .
Parts of Puerto Rico were already deluged by more than 30 inches of rain.
A home's roof is gone in Kosovo.
A home's roof is gone in Kosovo. (Ricardo Hernandez/)
A storm surge along the Dominican coast could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels. Punta Cana has seen the worst damage so far as the storm battered the tourist destination.
Damage there blocked several highways, and a tourist pier in the town of Miches sustained heavy damage from high waves. At least four international airports were closed.
Residents replace a roof that was torn off by Hurricane Fiona in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Veron de Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Broken umbrellas lay on the beach, felled by Hurricane Fiona in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Residents stand amid their homes that were damaged by Hurricane Fiona in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Veron de Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
A man walks on the beach next to waves kicked up by Hurricane Fiona in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Yesenia Martinez, left, and Dilcia Figaro pick up items scattered by Hurricane Fiona in the low-income neighborhood of Kosovo in Veron de Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Homes are flooded on Salinas Beach after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
A vehicle is submerged after Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Playa Salinas is flooded after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Streets are flooded on Salinas Beach after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Residents affected by Hurricane Fiona rest at a school being used as a storm shelter in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Homes are flooded on Salinas Beach after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
The mouth of the Rio Grande River reaches its banks after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
A vendor works amid the debris of his small business of umbrella rentals and food after they were felled by Hurricane Fiona on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
The Condado tourist zone in San Juan awoke to a general island power outage after Hurricane Fiona struck the Caribbean nation on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Extensive damages related to flooding are expected after many towns in the mountainous and southern region received over twenty inches of rain in some parts.
The Condado tourist zone in San Juan awoke to a general island power outage after Hurricane Fiona struck the Caribbean nation on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Condado tourist zone in San Juan awoke to a general island power outage after Hurricane Fiona struck the Caribbean nation on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A home is submerged in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. According to authorities three people were inside the home and were reported to have been rescued.
Nelson Cirino's home stands with its roof torn off by the winds of Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
People clean debris from a road after a mudslide caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A worker cuts an electricity pole that was downed by Hurricane Fiona as it blocks a road in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
People clean a house flooded by the rains of Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A river swollen with rain caused by Hurricane Fiona speeds through Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A road is blocked by a mudslide caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A worker of the Loiza municipality calls on residents to evacuate due to imminent flooding from the rains of Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Sunday, September 18, 2022.
People look at a flooded road during the passing of Hurricane Fiona through Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A man walks on a road flooded by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A home is submerged in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
A road is flooded by the rains of Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. The eye of newly-formed Hurricane Fiona is near the coast of Puerto Rico and it has already sparked an island-wide blackout and threatens to dump “historic” levels of rain.
Dominican President Luis Abinader said it would take several days for authorities to assess all the damage.
One death has been reported in Basse-Terre in the French territory of Guadeloupe, where a man’s house was swept away in the flooding.
Fiona is the third hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic Ocean season, following Danielle and Earl.
