Hurricane Fiona hit the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico yesterday, causing landslides, knocking out the power grid, and floods dug up asphalt from the roads, BTA reports, citing the Associated Press.

Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued across the island as floodwaters quickly rose.

The incoming rivers of brown water flooded cars, the first floors of houses and even the runway of the airport in the south of the island.

Forecasters said the storm threatened to dump "historic" amounts of rain on Sunday and Monday, with up to 30 inches (76 cm) possible in eastern and southern Puerto Rico.

"The damage we are seeing is catastrophic," Governor Pedro Pierluisi said.

The storm swept away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado, which police said had been installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Large landslides were also reported, where water dragged large slabs of torn-up asphalt and run off. in the ravines.

As of Sunday evening, Fiona was centered 75 km southeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

It is moving west-northwest at 17 km/h.

Luma, the company that manages electricity transmission and distribution, said bad weather, including winds of 120 km/h, had damaged transmission lines, causing "an island-wide blackout".

Fiona struck just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that struck on Sept. 20, 2017, knocked out the island's power grid and killed nearly 3,000 people, the AP said.