A Santa Catarina couple suffered a fright during a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They faced the passage of Hurricane Fiona in the early hours of Monday (19). The storm has devastated the resort where they are staying (see video).
The SC couple live in fear and damage from Hurricane Fiona in the resort town of Punta Cana Photo: Personal archive/Disclosure/ND
“The hurricane got here on the island around 2 or 3 am. Everyone was ordered to stay in their rooms, all restaurants were closed. And now there is no water or television, with power cuts,” businessman Germaá Oliveira told ND+.
Situation at the resort this Monday (19) morning Video: Personal Archives/Disclosure/ND
More damage from the hurricane Video: Personal archive/Disclosure/ND
The resident of Tubarão in the south of Santa Catarina has been traveling around the paradise island with his girlfriend Glaucy Michels Bechtold since last week. “We had some very good days. We had planned some island tours for Saturday and Sunday but they got canceled on Thursday due to bad weather,” he commented.
“We still managed a lot on Friday. On Saturday we couldn’t visit the other islands we wanted to dive. The weather was grayer. Yesterday (18th) we went shopping during the day and when we came back the weather was already bad,” he added.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), the wind reached 150 km/h. The hurricane was rated Category 1 by authorities, the lowest of five overall on the SaffirSimpson scale, but is expected to gain strength over the next 48 hours.
Wind reached 150 km/h Video: Personal archive/Disclosure/ND
According to AFP (French News Agency), the hurricane left roads flooded, blocked roads and light poles in the sectors of Bávaro, Verón and Friusa in tourist Punta Cana (east).
Strong winds and rain also hit Nagua (north). The local press reports flooding in other coastal towns in the Caribbean state, including Higüey