Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans stunned by a hurricane that knocked out power for the whole island and paralyzed the U.S. territory with landslides, flooding and downed trees vowed to slowly rebuild amid an economic crisis as rescue crews fanned out Thursday.
The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remained isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years.
Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone香蕉视频直播檚 safety.
香蕉视频直播淭his is going to be a historic event for Puerto Rico,香蕉视频直播� said Abner Gomez, the island香蕉视频直播檚 emergency management director.
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President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster declaration for Puerto Rico.
Previously a Category 5 with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, Maria hit Puerto Rico as the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Hurricane Irma that storm roared into the Florida Keys earlier this month.
In the capital of San Juan, towering eucalyptus trees fell nearly every other block over a main road dotted with popular bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, some of which were damaged. Outside a nearby apartment building, 40-year-old tourism company operator Adrian Pacheco recounted how he spent eight hours in a stairwell huddled with 100 other residents when the hurricane ripped the storm shutters off his building and decimated three balconies.
香蕉视频直播淚 think people didn香蕉视频直播檛 expect the storm to reach the point that it did,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淪ince Irma never really happened, they thought Maria would be the same.香蕉视频直播�
Hurricane Irma sideswiped Puerto Rico on Sept. 6, leaving more than 1 million people without power but causing no deaths or widespread damage like it did on nearby islands. Maria, however, blew out windows at some hospitals and police stations, turned some streets into roaring rivers and destroyed hundreds of homes across Puerto Rico, including 80 per cent of houses in a small fishing community near the San Juan Bay, which unleashed a storm surge of more than 4 feet.
香蕉视频直播淢onths and months and months and months are going to pass before we can recover from this,香蕉视频直播� Felix Delgado, mayor of the northern coastal city of Catano, told The Associated Press.
The sound of chain saws began to fill the silence that spread across San Juan late Wednesday afternoon as firefighters began to remove trees and used small bulldozers to lift toppled concrete light posts. Some neighbours pitched in to help clear the smaller branches, including Shawn Zimmerman, a 27-year-old student from Lewistown, Pennsylvania who moved to Puerto Rico nearly two years ago.
香蕉视频直播淭he storm didn香蕉视频直播檛 bother me,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 the devastation. I get goosebumps. It香蕉视频直播檚 going to take us a long time.香蕉视频直播�
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Maria has caused at least 10 deaths across the Caribbean, including seven in the hard-hit island of Dominica and two in the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe. Puerto Rico香蕉视频直播檚 governor told CNN one man died after being hit by flying debris. No further details were available, and officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Maria weakened to a Category 2 storm later in the day but re-strengthened to Category 3 status early Thursday with winds of 115 mph (185 kph). It was centred about 70 miles (110 kilometres) north of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph).
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The hurricane was still dumping rain overnight Wednesday in Puerto Rico, where crumbled red roof tiles lay scattered across many roads, and curious residents sidestepped and ducked under dozens of black power lines still swaying in heavy winds. But they posed no danger: Maria caused an island-wide power outage, with officials unable to say when electricity would return.
Puerto Rico香蕉视频直播檚 electric grid was crumbling amid lack of maintenance and a dwindling staff even before the hurricanes knocked out power. Many now believe it will take weeks, if not months, to restore power.
Edwin Rosario, a 79-year-old retired government worker, said an economic crisis that has sparked an exodus of nearly half a million Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland will only make the island香蕉视频直播檚 recovery harder.
香蕉视频直播淥nly us old people are left,香蕉视频直播� he said as he scraped a street gutter in front of his house free of debris. 香蕉视频直播淎 lot of young people have already gone香蕉视频直播f we don香蕉视频直播檛 unite, we香蕉视频直播檙e not going to bounce back.香蕉视频直播�
Danica Coto, The Associated Press
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