Hurricane Fiona kills four, strengthens to Category 4 storm

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Having killed at least four people on its way through the Caribbean on Wednesday, Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 4 storm and is headed toward Bermuda, where it is expected to make landfall on Friday, Associated Press reports. The Hurricane has already crashed through the Turks and Caicos Islands and has left most of Puerto Rico without power or water.

According to the National Hurricane Center, by early Wednesday morning, Hurricane Fiona’s center was about 170 miles (275 kilometers) north-northwest of Grand Turk Island, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the center, AP reports.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving north at eight mph (13 kph), the Hurricane Center said.

Puerto Rico has been hit hard, and hundreds of thousands of people are dealing with what officials called “historic” flooding, AP reports. Parts of Puerto Rico received more than 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain.

Power company officials said efforts to get electricity going again were being impeded by the effects of the storm. “Hurricane Fiona has severely impacted electrical infrastructure and generation facilities throughout the island. We want to make it very clear that efforts to restore and re-energize continue and are being affected by severe flooding, impassable roads, downed trees, deteriorating equipment, and downed lines,” the Luma power company told AP.

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