The island commonwealth of Puerto Rico is without power after Hurricane Fiona made landfall, nearly five years to the day that Hurricane Maria slammed the island killing nearly 3,000 people, NBC News reports.
Fiona hit Puerto Rico with 85 mile per hour winds, knocking out electricity service to 1.5 million customers because the power grid wasn’t significantly improved after Maria hit in 2017. Democratic Governor Pedro Pierluisi said up to 13 inches of rain fell on the island in a five-hour period, causing significant urban flooding as well as flash flooding and landslides in the countryside.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the island Sunday, releasing federal funds to help the island recover. The White House has not released plans for Biden to throw paper towels at islanders who need supplies, like his predecessor did, and it likely won’t.