Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday.

The center of the storm struck the southwest coast of Puerto Rico. According to the National Hurricane Center, wind speeds reached 87 miles per hour, crossing the threshold of a Category 1 hurricane.

Local authorities said much of the island of 3.3 million people was without power.

Heavy rains caused massive flooding and landslides.

Earlier Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden approved the declaration of a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, which authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and emergency protective measures.

The hurricane also affected the neighboring Dominican Republic. By Sunday evening, relief agencies had begun evacuating residents from high-risk areas in the east of the country. Dominican President Luis Abinader postponed a trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.