Eye of Hurricane Fiona nears battered, powerless Puerto Rico

HAVANA (AP) — The eye of newly formed Hurricane Fiona neared the coast of Puerto Rico on Sunday, already leaving hundreds of thousands without power and threatening to dump “historic” levels of rain.

Forecasters said the downpour was expected to produce landslides and catastrophic flooding, with up to 25 inches (64 centimeters) possible in isolated areas.

“It's time to take action and be concerned,” said Nino Correa, Puerto Rico's emergency management commissioner.

Fiona was centered 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).

U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in the U.S. territory as the eye of the storm approached the island's southwest corner.

Fiona knocked out power to more than 720,000 customers and several health institutions, including Puerto Rico's largest public hospital, which was running on generators.

Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said crews were working to repair generators as soon as possible at the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The storm was forecast to pummel cities and towns along Puerto Rico's southern coast that have not yet fully recovered from a string of strong earthquakes that hit the region starting in late 2019.

Officials reported several road closures across the island as trees and small landslides blocked access.

More than 640 people with some 70 pets had sought shelter across the island by Saturday night, the majority of them in the southern coast.

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