One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Puerto Rico pummeled the island Wednesday, tearing off roofs and sending doors flying from hinges as officials warned Hurricane Maria would decimate the power company香蕉视频直播檚 crumbling infrastructure and force the government to rebuild dozens of communities.
Maria, which has killed at least nine in the Caribbean, made landfall early Wednesday in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa as a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 kph) winds, and it was expected to punish the island with life-threatening winds for 12 to 24 hours, forecasters said.
People calling local radio stations reported that doors were flying off hinges and a water tank flew away in the island香蕉视频直播檚 southern region. Meanwhile, widespread flooding was reported in the capital of San Juan, with water running down one apartment香蕉视频直播檚 interior staircase.
香蕉视频直播淭his is going to be an extremely violent phenomenon,香蕉视频直播� Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. 香蕉视频直播淲e have not experienced an event of this magnitude in our modern history.香蕉视频直播�
Metal roofs were already flying and windows were breaking as the storm approached before dawn, with nearly 900,000 people without power and one tree falling on an ambulance. Those who sought shelter at a coliseum in San Juan were moved to the building香蕉视频直播檚 second and third floors, reported radio station WKAQ 580 AM. The storm was moving across Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning at 10 mph (17 kph), with a gust of 113 mph (182 kph) reported in the capital of San Juan, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Maria, which had previously been a Category 5 storm with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, hit Puerto Rico as the third strongest storm to make landfall in the United States based on a key measurement that meteorologists use: air pressure. The lower the central pressure a storm the stronger it is and Maria香蕉视频直播檚 pressure was 917 millibars, lower than Irma香蕉视频直播檚 U.S. landfall of 929 millibars in the Florida Keys earlier this month.
Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by hurricanes that tend to veer north or south of the island. The last Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico occurred in 1932, and the strongest storm to ever hit the island was San Felipe in 1928 with winds of 160 mph.
As Maria approached, U.S. President Donald Trump offered his support via Twitter: 香蕉视频直播淧uerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!香蕉视频直播�
More than 4,400 people were in shelters by late Tuesday, along with 105 pets, Rossello said.
The storm香蕉视频直播檚 centre passed near or over St. Croix overnight Tuesday, prompting U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp to insist that people remain alert. St. Croix was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain香蕉视频直播檚 St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago. But this time, the island would experience five hours of hurricane force winds, Mapp said.
香蕉视频直播淔or folks in their homes, I really recommend that you not be in any kind of sleepwear,香蕉视频直播� he said during a brief news conference. 香蕉视频直播淢ake sure you have your shoes on. Make sure you have a jacket around. Something for your head in case your roof should breach. 香蕉视频直播� I don香蕉视频直播檛 really recommend you be sleeping from 11 o香蕉视频直播檆lock to 4 (a.m.). 香蕉视频直播� Be aware of what香蕉视频直播檚 going on around you.香蕉视频直播�
Maria killed two people in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials said.
About 40 per cent of the island 香蕉视频直播� 80,000 homes 香蕉视频直播� were without power and flooding was reported in several communities.
The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page, including that his own roof had blown away.
香蕉视频直播淭he winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God,香蕉视频直播� Skerrit wrote before communications went down.
Hartley Henry, an adviser to Skerrit, said there have been seven confirmed deaths in the Caribbean country from Hurricane Maria. Hartley Henry didn香蕉视频直播檛 give details about how the deaths occurred.
The storm knocked out communications for the entire island, leaving anyone outside Dominica struggling to determine the extent of damage, though it was clearly widespread. 香蕉视频直播淭he situation is really grave,香蕉视频直播� Consul General Barbara Dailey said in a telephone interview from New York.
She said she lost contact with the island about 4 a.m. At that point, officials had learned that 70 per cent of homes had lost their roofs, including her own.
Flooding was a big concern, given the island香蕉视频直播檚 steep mountains, cut through with rivers that rage even after a heavy rain. Dominica was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika, which killed 30 people and destroyed more than 370 homes in August 2015.
Forecasters said the storm surge from Maria could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 metres) near the storm香蕉视频直播檚 centre. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimetres) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.
To the north, Hurricane Jose weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday night. Forecasters said dangerous surf and rip currents were likely to continue along the U.S. East Coast but said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by Jose swept five people off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island and they were hospitalized after being rescued.
A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York香蕉视频直播檚 Long Island and Connecticut.
Associated Press writers Ben Fox in Miami and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.
Danica Coto, The Associated Press
