- It is expected that in the next few hours the meteorological phenomenon will arrive at the coast of the island with gusts of wind of up to 130 kilometers per hour.
Given the proximity of Hurricane Fiona arriving on the coast of Puerto Rico in the next few hours with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles), the President of the United States, Joe Biden, approved the declaration of a state of emergency in the caribbean island
In this way, the president ordered the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to carry out the necessary efforts to “save lives, protect property, health and public safety; this with the objective of avoiding a catastrophe in the 78 municipalities” of Puerto Rico.
Through a statement, the White House announced that the US federal government will finance 75% of the emergency measures.
“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to mobilize and distribute at its discretion the resources necessary to alleviate the impact of this emergency,” he reported.
Previously, Pedro Pierluisi, governor of Puerto Rico, acknowledged that he had requested the declaration of a federal state of emergency hours after declaring the emergency at the state level.
Likewise, the official reiterated that there are 79 open shelters (of the 365 enabled) with 101 people sheltered in 26 municipalities, with Guayanilla and Cabo Rojo being the ones that are receiving the most displaced people.
Puerto Rico also activated the National Guard and issued an executive order to declare a Dry Law in the face of tropical storm Fiona and a hurricane warning for the island.