Meteorology rules out Fiona’s relationship with a sinkhole in a housing estate in Guanabo

Although this type of landslide or collapse is possible with significant accumulations as Tropical Storm Fiona exits Puerto Rico, hurricane rains were not the cause of last night’s sinking at the Villas de Parkville 2 apartment complex in Guanabo.

Rather, the meteorologist Glorian Rivera SantiagoWorker at National Weather Service (SNM) in San Juan, confirmed new day By the time they received the report of the said situation, there had been no significant rainfall in the area of ​​the incident a few hours earlier.

“I talked to the Guaynabo emergency manager and it was technically a water line that broke, and there was a ravine next to it. I mean, that’s the perfect combination for the retaining wall to collapse.”He said on the phone.

“(The grounding) had nothing to do with timing (caused by Fiona),” he added.

Officials from the Bureau of Fire Department in the Guaynabo area evacuated at least 12 families living in the area last night after nearby structures were damaged.

Photos posted on the firefighter’s Twitter portal show a wide and deep crater at the back of an apartment complex located on Lopategui Avenue.

The bureau indicated that Guanabo’s 90th Division had rushed to the scene to facilitate the precautionary evacuation of 12 families. Officials did not report any injuries as a result of the incident.

Initially, officials linked the incident to the rains of Tropical Storm Fiona, so an emergency was declared as a result of those effects. However, this information was given by SNM this morning.

Rivera Santiago, however, urged people in areas prone to floods or landslides to be alert and take precautions, as they are possible today as the frequency of rains increases.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC, in English) Fiona is expected to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane this afternoon and bring sustained winds of 75 mph near or above Puerto Rico tonight, according to its most recent bulletin.