N.Y. to send troopers to Puerto Rico, drones to Dominican Republic for Fiona recovery

Gov. Hochul said Monday that New York would send more than 100 state troopers to support Puerto Rico and drones to the Dominican Republic as Hurricane Fiona’s driving winds and rains pummel the Caribbean.

Hochul said the commitments came after Puerto Rico’s Gov. Pedro Pierluisi asked for Spanish-speaking cops to help citizens navigate the destruction. The storm left most of the island without power.

“We’ll have over 100 troopers from the New York State Police Department on their way to Puerto Rico over this next week,” Hochul said at a news conference in Midtown Manhattan. “As the need continues to arise, we’ll be ready to offer other resources and support.”

The Category 1 hurricane turned its wrath to the Dominican Republic on Monday, drenching the nation one day after sapping the power of more than 1 million customers in Puerto Rico.

The storm was expected to continue to lash the Dominican Republic on Monday afternoon and into the night. Hochul said New York’s drones would help the country conduct damage surveys, but did not specify how many drones the state would provide.

Fiona’s center was over the northern coast of the Dominican Republic at 11 a.m. on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center, and perilous flooding was ongoing in Puerto Rico. Landslides are feared.

Forecasts predicted that the storm would curl northeast after departing the Dominican Republic, strengthening on its way toward Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas.

The storm is not expected to reach New York. But Hochul, promised that New York will support Puerto Rico “for the long-term recovery.”

“We have experiences with our own hurricanes now, I hate to say it,” she said, referencing devastating downpours from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that left 18 dead in New York last year.

Hochul said she spoke to both Pierluisi of Puerto Rico and President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.

In the news conference, Jackie Bray, New York’s commissioner of homeland security and emergency services, said Puerto Rico is “still in the middle of doing a damage assessment now.”

Bray said Puerto Rico requested two rounds of 100 troopers available for two-week chunks each, and that the New Jersey State Police will also send troopers to the island.

She and Hochul both emphasized New York’s willingness to enhance its contributions if requested.

“No one works harder at helping others than New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “So I’m really proud that we can be there to assist not just Puerto Rico but the Dominican Republic.”

New York State is home to more than 1 million Puerto Ricans, according to estimates, and about 450,000 immigrants from the Dominican Republic, a number roughly equal to the population of Miami.

“I know people want to hear about the wellbeing of their friends and family,” Hochul said. “New York State will do everything in our power to help them.”