By Reese Mattner

On September 18th, 2022, Hurricane Fiona made her first hit on Puerto Rico. Turks and Caicos was hit on Tuesday with wind speeds that were way higher. After that, Hurricane Fiona was declared a category three storm. Mudslides and flooding continued in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Fiona became stronger as she headed to Bermuda. She is predicted to hit there on Friday morning as a category four storm.

Hurricane Maria occurred five years ago, as a category four storm. Puerto Rico was hit very hard in 2017. More than 3,000 people were killed. It caused billions of damage, towards stores, buildings, restaurants, and homes. 

Many airports were closed in Puerto Rico in preparation for the storm. All flights were canceled. So many people are trying to get back to their homes in Puerto Rico. On Monday morning, all of Turks and Caicos flights became closed. All travelers had to get a flight out before then. 

On Monday morning, in Puerto Rico 100,000 homes electricity was restored. There were still 750,000 homes with no running water and electric pumps became out of service, and 74% of people were without power. It has been reported that there were no deaths recorded in Turks and Caicos and very little damage. It was discovered that Hurricane Fiona brought 32 inches of rain in Puerto Rico. A wind gust to 98 mph was measured at Samana El Catey, Dominican Republic, early Monday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center reported 85-100 mph winds on Monday. 

Overall Hurricane Fiona has caused horrible damage to many places. There have been deaths and many power outages. Right now Hurricane Fiona is at her strongest. She is recorded as a category four storm. She is continuing to grow faster and faster as she migrates toward Bermuda.