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More than a million people in Puerto Rico are without power and there have been three deaths from Hurricane Fiona. Heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding were still occurring in Eastern portions of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday morning.
The strengthening storm is now headed toward the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as it strengthened into a Category 3 storm, prompting the government to impose a curfew.
The intensifying storm dumped huge amounts of rain over the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
A 58-year-old man died after police said he was swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio.
Another death was linked to the blackout — a 70-year-old man who was burned to death after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline while it was running, officials said.
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Hurricane Fiona aftermath in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona unleashed floods and landslides across Puerto Rico. Rain was still falling in some areas of the island on Tuesday.
The National Guard has rescued more than 900 people as floodwaters continue to rush through towns in eastern and southern Puerto Rico with up to 30 inches of rain forecast for some areas. Multiple landslides also were reported.
The blow from Fiona was made more devastating because Puerto Rico has yet to recover from Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the power grid in 2017. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps.
Authorities said at least 1,300 people and some 250 pets remain in shelters across the island.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi has warned it could take days before everyone has electricity.
The storm was not expected to threaten the U.S. mainland.
In the Dominican Republic, authorities reported one death: a man hit by a falling tree. The storm displaced more than 12,400 people and cut off at least two communities.
Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floodwaters washed his home away, officials said.
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Hurricane Fiona damage in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona has strengthened into a Category 3 storm as Puerto Rico remains in the dark and flooding rains continue in the Dominican Republic.
With the Associated Press.