Hurricane Fiona strengthens to Category 4, heads toward Bermuda

On Wednesday, Hurricane Fiona strengthened to a Category 4, leaving behind a trail of destruction in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos. The National Hurricane Center reported 130 mile-per-hour winds with gusts reaching 155 miles per hour, and issued a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch to Bermuda, where Fiona is likely to hit towards the end of the week, CNN reports.

The storm is responsible for at least five deaths across the Caribbean. Puerto Rico continues to be without power and is suffering from extreme flooding and mudslides across the island. Fiona then hit the Dominican Republic, causing flooding, water infrastructure damage, and detrimental damage to the tourism industry. Turks and Caicos had a hurricane warning on Tuesday and was hit with 125 mph winds along with widespread power outages. There is also the potential for dangerous rip currents caused by storm surges in nearby coastal areas, CNN explains.

The Caribbean is currently looking at an intensive recovery timeline. Fiona comes almost exactly five years after Hurricane Maria, which caused devastating damage in Puerto Rico; NBC reports that 1.1 million people are without power — approximately one-third of the population of the U.S. territory. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is assisting in Puerto Rico after President Biden issued a state of emergency on Sunday.

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As the storm moves north, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory stating, "U.S. citizens in Bermuda wishing to depart the island should depart now, ahead of Hurricane Fiona's arrival."

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Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.