{O/C} The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Fiona as it unleashed mudslides, punishing rains and winds, coupled with power outages.
Now, the Dominican Republic is next in line to be lashed as the hurricane barrels towards it.
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Five years after deadly Hurricane Maria struck, Puerto Rico faced another massive challenge -- Hurricane Fiona.
Fiona punched the region with a maximum 150-kilometer-per-hour winds.
The merciless storm toppled power lines, sparking widespread power outages affecting more than one million residents.
With floodwaters creeping in swiftly came evacuation orders heeded by hundreds of residents.
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Fierce winds bludgeoned the U.S. territory at 103 miles per hour.
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The mayor of Loiza, a Puerto Rican town, said floodgates were opened and houses were in tatters.
That's also where roofs were perforated and even toppled.
Experts say the storm rattled central and southern Puerto Rico with at least an historic 30 inches of rain.
Muddy deluges also wiped out this bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado installed following Maria's 2017 hit and ripped it up.
The choppy waters, water-smothered seaside homes and obliterated buildings in inland regions all spoke volumes about Fiona's wrath.
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On the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a man was killed when pelting rain and devastating winds washed away his home.
The storm hit on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which plowed past the island in 1989 as a Category 3 storm.
President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency, directing money and resources to grapple with the aftermath.
By Monday, power had been restored to 100,000 residents.
Fiona is expected to scrape across the Dominican Republic later today, with northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Island next in its path.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the Dominican Republic's precarious eastern coast.
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