Hurricane Fiona strengthens to Category 4 storm as it approaches Bermuda

Hurricane Fiona continued marching north through the Caribbean, leaving blackouts and flooding in its wake.

The storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday with winds up to 130 mph as it sits about 615 miles southwest of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. update. By late Thursday, Fiona is expected to reach Bermuda, which is currently under a hurricane watch.

Fiona could continue to strengthen, forecasters said Wednesday.

The storm made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday, blacking out the entire island still trying to rebuild after the devastating 2017 Hurricane Maria. More than 1 million customers remain without power Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us. Much of the island also lost running water, and Puerto Ricans waited in long lines Wednesday to get water from trucks. At least one truck ran out of water before everyone could get some.

After laying waste to Puerto Rico, Fiona continued north, touching down in the Dominican Republic and then swirling up to Turks and Caicos.

How to help the victims of Hurricane Fiona

Neighbors work to recover their belongings that were saved from the flooding caused by Hurricane Fiona at the Los Sotos neighborhood in Higüey, Dominican Republic. (Ricardo Hernandez/)

At least four people have been killed so far. They include two in the Dominican Republic, an 18-year-old who was hit by a falling power pole, and a man who was knocked over by a tree toppled by strong winds, and two in Puerto Rico: a 58-year-old who drowned in a flooded river, and a 70-year-old man, who died in a fire accidentally sparked while he was trying to fill his generator.

The U.S. State Department urged visitors to “reconsider travel” to Bermuda this week and announced the voluntary departure of any family members of government officials who are stationed there.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell landed in Puerto Rico on Tuesday to “assess the devastation...and determine the additional resources needed to support the island’s recovery.”

“Our partnership with the Government of Puerto Rico has never been stronger and we remain committed to helping them respond to and recover from Hurricane Fiona,” she said in a statement. “We’re sending hundreds of additional personnel in the next few days to place staff in each of the affected communities to supplement our already vast footprint.”

A fallen tree hangs on electrical wires over a street, blown down by Hurricane Fiona, in Salinas, Puerto Rico. (Alejandro Granadillo/)

Emergency personnel from New York are also being deployed to storm-battered island.

Gov. Hochul announced plans to send 100 state troopers to help with the recovery efforts.

Speaking at a press conference in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Adams confirmed that a team of specialists from the city Department of Emergency Management have also arrived in Puerto Rico to assess storm damage and determine how New York can help.

A second team of 11 city officials, including members of NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit, will head to the island later this week, officials said. The plan is for them to work alongside local emergency authorities with recovery efforts, like reconnecting electricity grids for smaller municipalities and removing downed trees.

“We’re here to help,” Adams said at the Department of Emergency Management’s headquarters. “New Yorkers have made it clear: These are our brothers and sisters. These are our families, and we’re going to do everything possible to be there for them during this devastating time.”

Adams declined to say if the city plans to send any direct monetary aid. “This is the first step, get down there and do an assessment,” he said.

Eligio Jaquez, counsel general of the Dominican Republic, which was also hit by Fiona, told reporters at the press conference that aid efforts like New York’s are critical for the region.

“This tragedy is obviously incredibly, incredibly stressful for our entire population and every hand helps,” he said in Spanish.

Adams was asked if the current circumstances are better or worse as compared to Hurricane Maria.

“Well, one, we have a president that identifies Puerto Rico as part of our country,” Adams replied, referring to former President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with the island. “And number two is coordination that we’re going to do not only with my office, but the governor’s office and with FEMA. The coordination is crucial.”

With News Wire Services