Puerto Rico bridge swept away by hurricane Fiona

• The temporary bridge was located over the Guaonica River in Utuado, Puerto Rico.
• It was erected in 2018 to provide access to communities located around the river.
• A permanent bridge was already being constructed when Hurricane Fiona pummeled the island on Sunday.

A temporary metal bridge built in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria was washed away by Hurricane Fiona’s rushing floodwaters. According to officials, the bridge, which spans the Guaonica River in Utuado, was destroyed on Sunday, the same day Fiona made landfall on the island.

The terrifying video captures the moment the metal bridge creaks and groans under the pressure of rising, fast-moving floodwaters.

Clattering metal can be heard as the bridge comes loose and flows downstream in one piece, carried away by the current. The video then shows stunned bystanders with their hands over their heads.

According to US House Delegate Roberto Lefranc Fortuo, the bridge, known as PR-123, was built in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, which was the deadliest natural disaster on US territory in 100 years.

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Fiona made landfall nearly five years after Maria devastated the island.

A public works official told a press conference on Sunday that, while the bridge was temporary, it could have lasted 75 years.

It was built in 2018 to provide access to communities located along the river, and a permanent bridge was already under construction when Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on the island.

According to the official, there was a lot of debris in the river, which is what caused the collapse.

Puerto Rico is still under a tropical storm warning after Fiona dumped more than two feet of rain on the island over the weekend, causing flash floods, mudslides, sink holes, and widespread power outages.

On Sunday, as Fiona’s eye approached Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast, an island-wide blackout was reported. As of Monday morning, over 1.3 million power customers in Puerto Rico were still without power.

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