Gov. Kathy Hochul pledges assistance to Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic after Hurricane Fiona
NEW YORK - Hurricane Fiona is impacting places near and dear to millions of New Yorkers.
Fiona pummeled the island of Puerto Rico, leaving behind major damage and more than a million people in the dark.
The storm is now making its way over the Dominican Republic.
The Census Bureau says people with Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage make up about 18% of the city's population.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello, many New Yorkers are already planning to help with hurricane recovery.
Inwood, in Upper Manhattan, is one of many communities where people of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage have made their mark.
Ada Elamir, born in Santo Domingo, spent the day with her granddaughter. They are thinking about the hurricane victims.
"Oh my gosh, it devastates me," Elamir said.
She's confident New Yorkers will step up to help.
"We have so many resources here, but over there they don't. And even though we're trying to help out there, it's a question of how quickly we can get those resources over there," Elamir said.
After Hurricane Maria in 2017, countless local supply drives collected material to sent to Puerto Rico. Similar supply drives will now be held after Fiona.
Hurricane damage to the power grid has Con Edison standing by to help. New York-based employees spent months in Puerto Rico helping after Maria five years ago.
"There is a very strong bond between New York City and Puerto Rico, and we stand ready to help them however we can. But there is a process in terms of mutual aid. We're in touch with them, and will help in any way we can," said Alfonso Quiroz of Con Edison.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said up to 100 Spanish-speaking state police officers are preparing to deploy to Puerto Rico.
"To help respond to the needs of citizens, traffic, lifting up and helping remove barriers on the streets. They wanted people who were trained in law enforcement," Hochul said.
The governor says the state is working with JetBlue and Delta to deliver donated supplies to the hurricane zone.
At the request of the president of the Dominican Republic, Hochul said New York is sending drone operators to that nation to help with damage assessment.
Answering the call to serve already, @nyspolice is sending 50 troopers to Puerto Rico this week, along with other officers.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 19, 2022
As needs continue to arise, we will remain ready to provide help and resources wherever necessary.
As CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado reports, it's going to be a long road to recovery. The governor of Puerto Rico is calling Fiona catastrophic, as the storm pummeled the island with nearly 30 inches of rainfall in some areas.
Monday afternoon, about 1.4 million households remained without power - just under half the island.
Fiona, which struck Puerto Rico as a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall Sunday with torrential downpours and powerful winds, which continued into Monday morning.
The storm triggered landslides and floods that ripped apart roads and homes.
A bridge in the town of Utuado broke down and was washed away. It was built by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 20
Rushing rivers of brown water overtook cars, entire first floors of homes and even an airport runway. Hundreds have been rescued or evacuated so far, and authorities have opened more than 100 shelters across the island.
"They're going to struggle. They're going to struggle a lot, like things are not going to be the same in a while for them," said Cristina Carrion, who runs a grocery store.
The storm is over the Dominican Republic. While no hard information is in yet, the National Hurricane Center predicts residents could see mudslides, landslides and flash flooding as Fiona moves through.
"We will be there for long-term recovery. This is not fixed in a day or week. This takes a comprehensive approach," Hochul said. "We know how bad this can get. We've seen challenges. Nobody works harder. So I'm proud we can be there... assist Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic."
Officials in Puerto Rico say it will take several days for power to be restored to the entire island.