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ALBANY, NY (WNY News Now) – Governor Kathy Hochul says New York will do what it can to help Puerto Rico as Hurricane Fiona slams through the U.S. territory and the Dominican Republic.
Hochul said Monday she’s activated more 100 New York State troopers to Puerto Rico. She spoke to the island’s Governor who requested Spanish speaking law enforcement to help respond to citizens’ needs.
Hurricane Fiona roared over the Dominican Republic Monday, a day after knocking out power to all of Puerto Rico and causing damage the governor described as “catastrophic.” Many people were also left without water service.
The blow from Fiona was made more devastating because Puerto Rico has yet to recover from Hurricane Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the power grid in 2017.
The wind and water from Fiona stripped the pavement from roads, tore off roofs and sent torrents pouring into homes. The storm also took out a bridge and flooded an airport runway.
“I’m proud to announce after that call last night, we immediately deployed or started to activate police officers,” said Hochul. “We will have over 100 troopers from the New York State Police Department on their way to Puerto Rico over this next week. And as the need continues to rise, be ready to offer other resources and support.”
Authorities reported no deaths directly from Fiona, but Puerto Rico officials said it was too early to know the full scope of damage.
The storm was still expected to unleash torrential rain across the U.S. territory.
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