As the governor on Saturday urged residents to not underestimate Fiona, the lights briefly went out while TV cameras were rolling -- underscoring the fragile state of the power grid there five years after Hurricane Maria.
Published Sep. 17, 2022 3:44 PM EDT | Updated Sep. 17, 2022 6:34 PM EDT
Faced with a crisis in the form of Tropical Storm Fiona, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi received a sign of the island's perilous situation during a press conference on Saturday.
While in the middle of an update about Fiona's impact, the lights unexpectedly went out in the room where Pierluisi's briefing was held. The lights went back on after a brief blackout period, but the electricity mishap was more evidence of a fragile power grid on the island.
Gasps could be heard in the room as the governor's official video feed cut to color bars during the unexpected blackout.
Pierluisi and his constituents have been worried about massive power outages for years after the island's power grid was wrecked by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Fiona's path coincides with the five-year mark since Maria left much of the island in ruins.
The power grid remains fragile, with daily occurrences of outages, and Fiona's path raised the outage numbers to immense levels on the island. As of Saturday afternoon, more than 43,000 tracked residents of the island were without power, according to PowerOutage.US. Much of the outage concentration was in the northern part of the island.
Pierluisi stated that LUMA Energy, the private company that handles the transmission and distribution of electricity in Puerto Rico, is "on probation" with the governor.
The lights unexpectedly went out as Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi briefed reporters ahead of Fiona on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
A hurricane warning was put into effect for Puerto Rico on Saturday morning, and AccuWeather forecasters warned that strong winds and heavy rains could bring life-threatening conditions to the island. Forecasters stated that as much as 12 inches (305 mm) of rainfall was possible in certain areas. Fiona has been rated a 2 for the Caribbean on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes.
"We are already starting to feel (Fiona's) effects," Pierluisi stated. "We should not underestimate this storm."
Local authorities in Puerto Rico opened shelters in advance of Fiona, according to The Associated Press, and transferred hundreds of endangered parrots to the shelter. Public beaches, casinos, theaters and museums were closed as residents were urged to remain indoors. Pierluisi stated that $550 million in emergency funds were available for the storm's aftermath, and enough food has been made available to feed 200,000 people three times a day for 20 days.
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico, city hall in Old San Juan on the northern coast of the island was closed down and protected by storm shutters and workers outfitted windows and doors of businesses with storm shutters in preparation of Fiona's arrival. In Loaiza, also on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, and east of San Juan, news photos showed residents boarding up the windows of their homes.
Workers oufit the doors and windows of a Marshalls department store in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with storm shutters as Tropical Storm Fiona closed in on the island Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Dr. Gloria Amador, head of a nonprofit health organization in central Puerto Rico, stressed the serious nature of the situation to the AP.
"It's time to activate your emergency plan and contact and help your relatives, especially elderly adults who live alone," Amador told the AP.
Reuters reported Saturday that Fiona was blamed for at least one fatality in the French Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe, which is a part of the Leeward Islands. Video footage that surfaced on social media Saturday showed raging floodwaters in city streets there as Fiona pulled away.
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