Hurricane Fiona slams Dominican Republic, strengthens to Category 3

(KYMA, KECY/ NBC News) - Hurricane Fiona has now strengthened to a category three storm as it slams areas near the Atlantic Ocean with maximum winds of up to 115 miles per hour.

On Monday, a curfew was imposed for the area in preparation for the storm.

The National Hurricane Center warns that winds are expected to strengthen over the next couple of days and the storm could turn into a Category 4 hurricane.

This comes as the hurricane slammed into the Dominican Republic on Monday causing widespread damage.

The storm brought torrential rain and powerful winds to the area causing severe floods, cutting off villages, forcing more than 12,000 from their homes and leaving more than 700,000 without power. Authorities closed ports and beaches and most people were urged to stay home from work.

It is the first hurricane to hit the Dominican Republic directly since Jeanne left severe damage in 2004.

The damage in the Dominican also came after the destruction in Puerto Rico who saw flooding in the wake of Hurricane Fiona over the weekend.

The National Weather Center says parts of the island could see up to 30 inches of rain by the time the storm is over.

Tuesday also marks the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico.

The island received billions of dollars in federal funding for its electrical grid after that storm.

Power officials say the system is better now -- but it's still frail and weather experts say they do not expect the storm to approach the U.S. Coast.