By Evangelos Gourgoulianis 
Villager Academics Editor 

While Hurricane Fiona battered Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic last week, some Stevenson students took a more personal interest in the devastation. 

Hurricane Fiona has dumped at least 30 inches of rain in some parts of Puerto Rico, coupled with severe floods throughout the country. The destruction left behind by Fiona has left more than two million without power and water in Puerto Rico, and over a million left without running water in the Dominican Republic. At least eight are dead in the Caribbean following the effects of Fiona’s horrid devastation.  

Among those affected is fourth-year student Ashley Guzman Martinez, who reflects on her initial reactions when she learned that her home country of the Dominican Republic was in the path of Hurricane Fiona.  

“When I found out about Hurricane Fiona, my immediate reaction was to worry, especially since hurricane season in the Caribbean can be very dangerous,” said Guzman Martinez, who serves as the president of the SU Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS).  

“My fear was that due to Hurricane Fiona, the river near the entrance of Azua was going to overflow and cause damage to the bridge that a lot of my cousins drive by to get to work, or that the roads to get to San Jose de Ocoa were going to be ruined due to the mountains.”  

Guzman Martinez added that her family is from Azua, which has not been critically affected by the hurricane as opposed to other parts of the Dominican Republic.  

“Thankfully, Azua is a place that does not get a lot of rain; therefore, Fiona has not been that devastating where I am from. From what I have heard from my family is that other places in the Dominican Republic have been very badly affected.” 

Lastly, Guzman Martinez mentions the reactions received by her close friends and family who reside currently in the Dominican Republic.   

“My family and friends were worried at first because of all the bad news that they were hearing about Fiona but ultimately had hoped it wouldn’t hit Azua as bad. The precaution that they took was mainly to load up on food and to not go out of the house unless for emergency,” she said.  

As of Sept. 23, Hurricane Fiona has begun moving away from Puerto Rico and the Turks and Caicos Islands and is headed north into Bermuda. With no signs of slowing down, Fiona is expected to drop a few inches of rain onto Bermuda, along with creating severe surf and rip current conditions.  

Hurricane Fiona is expected to travel steadily north above the Atlantic, eventually reaching eastern Canada. Fortunately, Fiona will not make direct contact with any eastern states in the United States, however, heightened alerts for high tide and rip currents are to be expected.