Hurricane Fiona was upgraded to Category 3 on Tuesday as it nears the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm was centered 80 miles southeast of Grand Turk Island Monday night and had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It was moving 10 mph north-northwest.
The hurricane delivered heavy rain over the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. A 58-year-old man died in the U.S. territory after he was swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio, police said.
The National Guard has rescued more than 900 people amid floodwaters flowing through towns in eastern and southern Puerto Rico, where up to 30 inches of rain is forecast for some areas.
At least 1,300 people and about 250 pets remain in shelters across Puerto Rico.
Residents of the island experienced a blackout when the storm struck Puerto Rico’s southwest corner on Sunday. But by Monday night, authorities said power had been restored for more than 114,000 customers.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said it could be days before everyone on the island has electricity again.
HURRICANE FIONA MAKES LANDFALL IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AFTER HITTING PUERTO RICO
More than 837,000 customers had their water service cut because of turbid water at filtration plants or lack of power, according to authorities.
Fiona was on a path toward the Turks and Caicos islands on Tuesday.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic reported that a man died after he was hit by a falling tree. The storm displaced more than 12,400 people and cut off at least two communities in the country.
The hurricane left several Dominican highways blocked, a tourist pier in the town of Miches was badly damaged by high waves and at least four international airports were closed.
Dominican President Luis Abinader said authorities would need several days to assess Fiona’s impact.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
