Hurricane Fiona, now a category 4 storm, is making its way northward. After ripping through Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda this week, the storm is set to make landfall in Canada on Friday evening. Canadian officials issued a hurricane watch for areas including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The storm will not make landfall in New Jersey but will cause near gale-force winds, and dangerous rip currents and waves at the Shore this weekend.
With hundreds of thousands of residents, now out of the eye of the storm, but still without power, clean water or places to sleep, rebuilding what was lost is their primary focus. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard are on the ground in Puerto Rico after President Biden made a major disaster declaration for the territory. Gov. Phil Murphy is deploying dozens of state troopers to Puerto Rico to assist with everything from traffic control to specialized emergency services.
Murphy thanked those deploying Friday in New Brunswick, where the Puerto Rico Commission, lawmakers and advocates hosted the annual Hispanic Resource Fair. Some 40 government agencies, with bilingual staff, provided information on resources and job opportunities.
“It is an explicit statement from our administration how highly we value this community,” Murphy said. “So you’ve had my back and I promise we have your back and we always will.”
