ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday after hitting Puerto Rico overnight, leaving behind power outages and flooding.
The center of what was then Tropical Storm Ernesto passed 40 miles off San Juan, Puerto Rico, early Wednesday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains.
According to the electricity company LUMA, more than 695,000 households in Puerto Rico are without electricity. The eastern and central regions of the island are the most affected.
In addition, according to Puerto Rican authorities, 235,000 people do not have access to water and more than 400 people are in emergency shelters.
The authorities are urging people to only leave their homes if it is absolutely necessary. Many villages are completely cut off from the outside world due to the water level of the river and numerous roads are closed.
Due to limited resources, authorities asked the public to donate blood. 23 hospitals are using power generators and 80 flights have been cancelled.
The storm moved away from Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning with hurricane-force winds of 120 km/h.
The highest rainfall amount recorded so far was 9.6 inches in Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Before the storm leaves Puerto Rico, additional rain is possible Wednesday morning and into the early afternoon.
Sustained winds of 68 mph with gusts up to 86 mph were reported on the island of Culebra, east of Puerto Rico. A METAR observing station at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico reported sustained winds of 48 mph and gusts of 74 mph.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico and a hurricane warning has been issued for the British Virgin Islands.
President Joe Biden approved a state of emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Tuesday evening.
Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, warned residents to stay home starting Tuesday evening as tropical storm force winds are expected to hit the island. Total rainfall could reach up to 25 centimeters in some places.
A flash flood warning was issued for parts of Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning as several inches of rain had already caused flooding. Puerto Rico will continue to experience heavy rain and gusty winds into the afternoon as Ernesto moves away from the island.
ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
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