Officials closed ports and beaches and told most people to stay home from work. The hurricane left several highways blocked, and a tourist pier in the town of Miches was severely damaged by high waves. At least four international airports were closed, officials said.
The National Weather Service warned of another 1 to 4 inches of rain for much of Puerto Rico into Wednesday morning. Storm totals have reached 12 to 20 inches in most areas, but some locations have seen up to 35 inches.
“Localized additional flash and urban flooding is possible in southern portions of Puerto Rico,” the weather service said.
National Guard Brig. Gen. Narciso Cruz put the flooding in perspective by comparing it to the massive amount of water Category 4 Hurricane Maria brought five years ago Tuesday.
“There were communities that flooded in the storm that didn’t flood under Maria,” Cruz said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Fiona made landfall as a Category 1 storm Sunday afternoon on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico, then made landfall again early Monday on the Dominican Republic’s east coast.
In hard-hit Salinas, a municipality of about 30,000 people on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, Mayor Karilyn Bonilla estimated 2,500 people had their homes swamped. The National Guard led a team of responders in more than 500 water rescues, and Bonilla expressed gratitude for lifesaving efforts “that put their own at risk.”
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