Hurricane Fiona slams the Dominican Republic after hitting Puerto Rico

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Hurricane Fiona slams the Dominican Republic after hitting Puerto Rico

Hurricane Fiona roared over the Dominican Republic on Monday after knocking out power across all of Puerto Rico, causing damage the governor said was “catastrophic.” Many people were left without water service.

No deaths had been reported, but authorities in the U.S. territory said it was too early to know the full scope of damage from an expansive storm that was still forecast to unleash torrential rain across Puerto Rico on Monday.

The island’s National Weather Service office said flash flooding was occurring in south-central parts of Puerto Rico and tweeted, “MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!”

Up to 22 inches (56 centimeters) of rain had fallen in some areas of Puerto Rico and forecasters said another 4 to 8 inches could fall — perhaps up to 15 inches in some places — even as the storm moves away.

As much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) were projected for the eastern Dominican Republic, where authorities told most people to stay home from work, closed ports and banned use of beaches.

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