WASHINGTON, D.C. (WABC) — President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are set to travel to Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona.
On September 18, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico as a Category 1 storm.
Preliminary estimates show Hurricane Fiona has damaged 50% of power lines and distribution feeders in Puerto Rico, as hundreds of thousands remain without power and water nearly two weeks after the storm, officials said Thursday.
The announcement came after a major power plant in Puerto Rico shut down and began spewing thick black smoke in the latest setback to efforts to stabilize the US territory’s power grid.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi said crews were working quickly to restore basic services, but stressed he was not satisfied that more than 270,000 customers out of 1.47 million were without power, and more than 100,000 customers out of 1.2 million – without water supply.
The situation has angered and outraged many already affected by power outages caused by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that knocked out the island’s power grid in September 2017.
President Biden says he wants to personally inspect the damage.
Biden also plans to visit Florida on Wednesday.
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