MAYAGUEZ,
Puerto Rico (AP) A large storm unleashed heavy rain over southwestern
Puerto Rico, causing flooding and leaving at least two people
dead.
Puerto Rico
was under a flood warning Monday after the Guanajibo River and
other streams in the area swelled beyond their banks.
During the
night Sunday, one man was swept away by the water while trying
to cross a bridge by foot in the town of Yauco, police said. Another
man died in the area when his truck was carried away as he crossed
a river, police said.
During the
night, an unknown number of families were ordered from their homes
along the Guanajibo River, said regional emergency management
official Alberto Trabal.
Jose Arlequin,
the mayor of Guayanilla, urged Gov. Sila Calderon, the top official
in the U.S. Caribbean territory, to declare an emergency in the
area, describing the situation in his town as "critical."
Calderon had
planned to tour the zone by helicopter on Monday afternoon, but
the tour was canceled. Officials cited harsh weather as the reason.
The president
of the Puerto Rican Farmers Association, Ramon Gonzalez, estimated
losses of $7.5 million to farms that produce vegetables, cattle
and other goods.
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