Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 25 september 2019
Puerto Rico braces for flooding, landslides from Karen

By DÁNICA COTO fore the storm hits.
Associated Press Karen regained tropical
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) storm strength Tuesday
— Tropical Storm Karen morning after slipping to
drenched the U.S. Virgin Is- a tropical depression. Its
lands on Tuesday as it bore maximum sustained winds
down on an earthquake- increased in the afternoon
shaken Puerto Rico still to 45 mph (70 kph), with ad-
scarred by a hurricane two ditional strengthening ex-
years ago. pected in upcoming days.
U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Al- The storm was centered
bert Bryan Jr. said the storm about 35 miles (55 kilome-
had already caused mud- ters) southeast of San Juan
slides in the territory and and was moving north at 8
major power outages were mph (13 kph). Forecasters
reported early Tuesday, said it was expected to hit
though he said the cause Puerto Rico’s southeast re-
was not yet clear. gion by late afternoon.
“Don’t take the storm light- It was expected to keep
ly,” Bryan said. “It will start heading north after passing
to throw massive rain.” over Puerto Rico and stay
Schools and government well east of the Bahamas,
offices were already or- the Hurricane Center said.
dered closed in Puerto Rico Irma Torres, a resident of the El Negro coastal sector, walks outside her home before the arrival of A tropical storm warning re-
as well as in the U.S. and Tropical Storm Karen, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. mained in effect for Puerto
British Virgin Islands, with Associated Press Rico, Vieques, Culebra and
officials warning people to reported, said Carlos Ace- Puerto Rico were left with- The National Guard, which the U.S. and British Virgin Is-
stay indoors. vedo, director of Puerto out power at one point, was activated by Puerto lands, and forecasters said
As the storm approached, Rico’s emergency man- and heavy rains were al- Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez certain areas could experi-
Puerto Ricans were shaken agement agency, add- ready pelting the southeast on Monday, carried out ence stronger winds.
from their beds late Mon- ing that the concern now coastal town of Yabucoa, a last-minute evacuation Roberto Garcia, meteo-
day by a magnitude 6.0 was how much rain Karen where 69-year-old retiree of a weeks-old baby from rologist in charge of the
earthquake that hit in the would drop on the region. Víctor Ortiz huddled inside the neighboring island of National Weather Service’s
Atlantic near the island at The U.S. National Hurricane his home with his wife. Vieques, which has been San Juan office, said that
a shallow depth of 6 miles Center said it could bring 3 “Every year the storms are without a hospital since some towns in the eastern
(10 kilometers). Three after- inches to 6 inches (8 to 15 stronger and more fre- Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. part of Puerto Rico would
shocks, of magnitude 4.7 centimeters) with isolated quent,” he said, adding Lt. Col. Paul Dahlen said in likely be hit with moder-
and 4.6, followed within less amounts of 10 inches (25 that he worried about land- a phone interview that the ate to serious flooding,
than an hour. centimeters). slides because he lives in a baby was sick and would especially those next to
No significant damage was Up to 29,000 customers in mountainous region. be taken to a hospital be- mountains.q
Socialist bloc back in Venezuela congress after boycott

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ continuing backing of the a space of dialogue,” he
CHRISTINE ARMARIO Maduro government. said. On several occasions,
Associated Press “If they want to reach so- Torrealba attempted to in-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) lutions, let’s talk about so- terrupt proceedings, but
— Socialist party lawmak- lutions,” Guaidó told the the Guaidó-led opposition
ers ended their two-year raucous assembly. “Free bloc refused to acknowl-
boycott of Venezuela’s elections, separation of edge him as an active leg-
legislature Tuesday, seek- powers.” islator since he holds anoth-
ing to renew their influence The socialist lawmakers er official government role.
in the last branch of federal have been absent since Though they hold only 54
government still controlled 2017, backing several pro- of 167 seats in congress,
by the opposition amidst a government Supreme analysts suspect that re-
lengthy power struggle. Court rulings declaring the suming their posts is the first
Thirty-eight ruling party leg- legislature in contempt. of several steps paving the
islators heeded President Lawmakers Tania Diaz of the Venezuelan Socialist United Several have gone on to way toward new legisla-
Nicolás Maduro’s call to Party speaks during a National Assembly session in Caracas, hold positions as minsters tive elections Maduro has
return to the National As- Venezuela, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. and governors, a constitu- vowed to hold in early 2020
sembly building, which has Associated Press tional violation. that the opposition would
become the opposition’s led by legislative president lamity. The session Tuesday Socialist lawmaker Fran- likely boycott.
main platform in their push Juan Guaidó. put the dueling sides face cisco Torrealba said the rul- Phil Gunson, a senior ana-
to oust the embattled lead- Maduro is pushing forward to face, with both accusing ing party members hoped lyst with the Crisis Group in
er from power. the agreement as an al- one another of violating to “reestablish” the legisla- Caracas, said that Venezu-
They returned as part of an ternative to Norway-spon- the constitution and fueling ture’s functions, though he ela’s socialist party may be
accord between Maduro sored talks with the main- the crisis. Guaidó, recog- offered few details, other willing to wager that they
and a handful of outlier stream opposition that nized by the U.S. and over than to say that congress can win back the National
opposition parties roundly have fallen apart in recent 50 other nations as Venezu- shouldn’t be used to dele- Assembly if they hold an
chastised as a crude at- weeks as he looks to sta- ela’s rightful president, sat gitimize other branches election that the opposi-
tempt to divide the anti- bilize a country fraught by perched at the helm, ques- from power. tion refuses to participate
government movement economic and political ca- tioning the socialists for their “We are here to rescue in.q