Ruinous Hurricane Fiona reaches Category 4 as it moves north, leaving disaster-stricken areas to begin slow road to recovery - CNN

Sep 21, 2022

Can't live without water," Vega told CNN on Tuesday.

Fiona killed at least five people in the Caribbean as it tore through the region last weekend and into this week, including one in Guadeloupe, two in Puerto Rico, and two in the Dominican Republic.

Fiona also whipped parts of the Turks and Caicos islands on Tuesday with sustained winds of almost 125 mph, officials said.

Fiona's flooding especially left critical infrastructure damage in Puerto Rico and then the Dominican Republic, which the storm crossed Monday.

Storm presses north and could threaten Bermuda and Atlantic Canada

Fiona, after its center passed the Turks and Caicos as a Category 3 storm, strengthened to Category 4 -- sustained winds of at least 130 mph -- early Wednesday over the Atlantic.

Around 8 a.m.

High winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall could produce significant impacts there.

The storm has strengthened over the past few days -- it made landfall in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a Category 1 hurricane before battering both with outer bands as it moved over water and toward the Turks and Caicos as a storm in Categories 2 and 3.

Fiona leaves millions without power and running water

Many in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are still grappling with the Fiona's aftermath and will likely face a prolonged relief and recovery process.

Puerto Rico Gov.

Pedro Pierluisi expects "a large portion of the population" will have power restored by late Wednesday, with the exception of the island's southern region, which has suffered the most severe damage, he said Tuesday.

In the Dominican Republic, more than 600 homes have been destroyed and 12 communities cut off from aid due to the storm, said García, the nation's emergency operations center director.