Fiona vs. Maria: How the two hurricanes compare in Puerto Rico
Although the storms are five years apart, they mirror one another in some respects, while differing in others.
FOX Weather Correspondent: Hurricane Fiona's Impacts On Puerto Rico Comparable To Maria
FOX Weather Correspondent Nicole Valdes breaks down Hurricane Maria and it's aftermath and how it continues to impact present day Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico near the island’s five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria.
"We are reliving almost an identical scenario to Hurricane Maria," said FOX Weather correspondent Nicole Valdes.
Valdes was born in Puerto Rico, and returned to the island in 2022 to report on ongoing recovery efforts in her "FOX Weather Reports" documentary, "Ruin and Resurrection: The Fury of Hurricane Maria."
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Although the storms are five years apart, they mirror one another in some respects, while differing in others.
When did the hurricanes make landfall?
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Image 1 of 6Angelica Lopez, who lost her home during Hurricane Maria. Her story is one of several highlighted in Valdes's documentary. ("FOX Weather Reports: Ruin and Resurrection: The Fury of Hurricane Maria")
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Image 2 of 6Blue tarps dot this aerial view of a neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The tarps were provided by FEMA in 2017 and were still used for shelter in this photo taken in 2019. (Ricardo Arduengo / AFP)
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Image 3 of 6A man walks past a house laying in flood water in Catano town, in Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on September 21, 2017. Puerto Rico braced for potentially calamitous flash flooding after being pummeled by Hurricane Maria which devastated the island and knocked out the entire electricity grid. (HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP / Getty Images)
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Image 4 of 6Valdes listens intently to Alex de Jesus, who has been restoring his hometown after Hurricane Maria. ("FOX Weather Reports: Ruin and Resurrection: The Fury of Hurricane Maria")
![A mother holds her baby as her husband mixes cement and tried to rebuild their home in December 2017]()
Image 5 of 6A mother holds her baby as her husband mixes cement and tried to rebuild their home in December 2017. Their home was destroyed just a few months prior by Hurricane Maria. (Mario Tama)
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Image 6 of 6Alana Rivera, age 10, does her daily homework in her apartment balcony lit by a cell phone light in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 6, 2017. The school reopened its doors without electricity to receive students 46 days after Hurricane Maria hit the island. (RICARDO ARDUENGO / AFP )
Maria struck the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico about 6:15 a.m. local time on Sept. 20, 2017.
Fiona struck the island’s southwestern coast about 4:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 18, 2022.
How strong were the hurricanes?
Watch hurricane winds tear into Ponce, Puerto Rico
A storm chaser braved the flying debris and toured Ponce, Puerto Rico shortly after the worst of the storm hit. Street sighs look like they are moments from being ripped from their poles, trees took down powerlines and waves beat against a seaside building that is usually out of the water.
Hurricane Maria was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.
Hurricane Fiona was a Category 1 hurricane with 85-mph winds when it hit Punta Tocon on the southwestern end of the island.
What were the casualties?
A man is seen clinging to a cement pole to prevent being swept away by raging floodwaters in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Fiona.
(Batalló 125 de Policía Militar)
Hurricane Maria caused an estimated 2,795 casualties in Puerto Rico, according to the island's Office of the Governor.
As of Monday afternoon, Hurricane Fiona has taken the life of one man in the French Caribbean county of Guadaloupe, according to a local official.
What were the rainfall amounts?
Puerto Rico overcome by floodwaters
Drivers near Ponce, Puerto Rico watch their cars and trucks sink lower in to floodwaters from Hurricane Fiona. Neighborhoods that used to be on the road now look like they are lakefront.
Hurricane Maria drenched Puerto Rico with rainfall amounts between 5 and 10 inches, but some areas received 25-30 inches.
After Hurricane Fiona, several communities reported rainfall totals of more than 2 feet. The National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reported the heaviest rain had fallen in the southeastern part of the island as of Monday morning. Rain was expected to continue through Tuesday.
How were people affected?
"The Five" Host Geraldo Rivera recounts covering Hurricane Maria
"The Five" Host Geraldo Rivera joins FOX Weather to discuss his reporting of Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria in 2017 and compares it to Hurricane Fiona.
In both scenarios, the hurricanes triggered widespread power outages.
The power outages caused by Maria lasted for months for many Puerto Ricans. Fiona sent 1.5 million into darkness on Sunday, with about 100,000 having their power restored by Monday morning.
As a result of both storms, rainfall-induced landslides have occurred throughout parts of the country, taking out homes, businesses and some types of infrastructure.
WATCH AS FIONA'S FLOODWATERS WASH AWAY A BRIDGE
How is Puerto Rico rebuilding?
Neighborhoods in Puerto Rico Underwater
Drone footage from storm chaser Brett Adair shows how Hurricane Fiona has left many areas and neighborhoods in Puerto Rico underwater.
Puerto Rico was still rebuilding after Hurricane Maria when Hurricane Fiona struck, as seen in the "FOX Weather Reports" documentary with Nicole Valdes, "Ruin and Resurrection: The Fury of Hurricane Maria."
According to Puerto Rico's governor, 128 shelters have been opened across the island's 78 municipalities because of Hurricane Fiona. He said there are currently 2,146 people and more than 250 pets being helped in 113 of those shelters.