Disasters & Accidents

Fiona makes landfall in Turks and Caicos Islands as Cat. 3 hurricane

Miami, Sep 20 (EFE).- Hurricane Fiona, officially declared a Category 3 storm, made landfall on Tuesday morning in the Turks and Caicos Islands packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm moved over to the archipelago after battering Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic causing “catastrophic” consequences, with large areas of Puerto Rico devastated and much of the island without electricity or water service.

The eye of the third such storm of the Atlantic hurricane season made landfall some 15 kilometers (10 miles) off Grand Turk Island, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, at 8 am local time.

A hurricane warning has been issued on Grand Turk Island where authorities have ordered citizens to take shelter from the dangerous storm.

Fiona is presently moving northwest at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour (10 mph) and its winds are expected to strengthen in the coming days, NHC said.

The Category 3 hurricane brings not only the risk of torrential rain, but also flooding, mudslides, storm surge and strong ocean riptide currents.

The NHC warned that the winds could cause damage to well-constructed wooden homes, especially to the roofs, the roof tiles, vinyl siding and gutters. EFE

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