Hurricane ‘Fiona’ leaves the entire island of Puerto Rico without electricity

Hurricane ‘Fiona’ over Puerto Rico.DSP PUERTO RICOWhen the blackout occurred, the energy demand was barely 500 megawatts, indicating that “many customers were already out” of serviceTropical storm ‘Fiona’ has become a category 1 hurricane, the lowest on a scale of 5, and already threatens the Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico or Hispaniola The authorities have warned of torrential rains and landslides throughout Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic The executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), Josué Colón, has reported this Sunday that hurricane ‘Fiona’ has caused a widespread blackout on the island of Puerto Rico. The blackout occurred after 1:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. to “start up” several rapid response generation units to restore supply as soon as possible. “The lines went out (of service) and the entire system was turned off,” he explained, referring to two lines of 115,000 and 230,000 volts that supply the island. “We are already starting Palo Seco with ‘black-start’ units. We are starting from the north (…). Palo Seco and San Juan. There is already a unit on in Palo Seco,” he explained in statements to the newspaper ‘Primera Hora’. According to Colón, when the blackout occurred, the energy demand was barely 500 megawatts, indicating that “many customers were already out of service.” “We are going to start energizing from the north. We are in coordination with the Energy Control Center (operated by LUMA Energy). We are turning on now,” he indicated. Tropical storm ‘Fiona’ has become a category 1 hurricane, the lower than a scale of 5, and already threatens the Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico or Hispaniola. Authorities have warned of torrential rains and landslides throughout Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic when the storm moves from south to north near from the north coast of the Dominican Republic in the direction of Puerto Rico. The maximum sustained winds have increased to about 130 kilometers per hour with stronger gusts and it is expected that it will continue to strengthen in the next 48 hours. The US president has declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico and has ordered the release of federal resources for emergency response.