Puerto Rico: Hurricane Fiona Update

Monday September 19, 2022

Dear Group Leaders,

The U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico experienced heavy rain and stormy winds from hurricane Fiona this past weekend. Thankfully, the government as well as local businesses and residents learned a lot from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. The island now possesses machinery, generators, and hurricane protocols that did not exist back in 2017. Below is an update about and from the island. We will keep you updated periodically.

• Safety of our people – All of Vamonos’ groups, staff, and families are safe and well.
• San Juan – the capital was spared – it received some rain and some wind, but there is little flooding and minimal damage in Greater San Juan.
• Wind and flooding – The southern region of the island experienced category 1 hurricane winds and heavy rain. The wind force was minimal as compared to the category 4/5 Hurricane Maria. However, the amount of rain (in some places over 20 inches) far surpassed Hurricane Maria. There is considerable flooding damage in some areas.
• School / business – Government, schools, and businesses will be fully operational as of Tuesday September 20th. Most places in San Juan remain open.
• Electricity / water – power has already been restored to hospitals and some areas in San Juan. The majority of the population is still without power or water in their homes. Water should be fully restored in the coming days. The vast majority of hotels and tourist attractions have generators so a lack of power does not affect them.
• Roads – Main roads and highways are open.
• Airport – The San Juan International Airport is open and fully operational
• Telecommunications / cell towers – They sustained very little damage.
• More information – For more info, visit: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/info/information-about-hurricane-fiona

We ask upcoming Puerto Rico groups and travelers to stay tuned and wait at least 2-3 weeks before thinking about switching their tour destination. For those of you who chose service-learning opportunities in your itineraries, rest assured that we will have plenty of opportunities to serve in flooding-hurricane-relief efforts.

Sincerely,

Jorge Pardo
Vamonos President