Fiona elicits worry among Puerto Rican Houstonians: 'We know that they’re going to struggle'

Members of the Puerto Rican community in Houston expressed concerns about loved ones’ well-being after Hurricane Fiona slammed their homeland, according to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that Fiona made landfall on Puerto Rico on Monday, plunging the U.S. commonwealth in the Caribbean into darkness as well as damaging its water supply.

Grocery shop proprietress Cristina Carrion moved to the U.S. mainland nearly a decade ago and still has family in Puerto Rico, KHOU reported.

“It’s been very nerve-wracking, so we’ve been tracking it as well with them," Carrion told the station. "Just asking how they are.”

She added that the memories of another devastating storm, Hurricane Maria in 2017, are still fresh.

“We know that they’re going to struggle,” Carrion said, KHOU reported. “They’re going to struggle a lot. Things are not going to be the same in a while.”

According to the station, Houston nonprofit organization NACC Disaster Services head Angelica Ortega and her husband were in Puerto Rico when Fiona struck.

“The flash flooding and there's no power so I think the flooding is probably the worst,” Ortega told KHOU, adding that the eye of the hurricane had passed.

The AP reported that Puerto Rican officials said it was too early to get a full extent of Fiona’s fury though the storm has added to the commonwealth’s ongoing woes from Maria.

Per the AP, Maria claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people and destroyed the island’s power grid.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR) didn’t give an exact length of time as to when electricity will be restored but said some residents could have their lights back on in a matter of days, the report said.