HURRICANE MARIA: 'It Could Take Months Without Electricity' Says Puerto Rico Governor.
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to be lashed by heavy rain in the storm's wake.
Meanwhile more pictures are emerging of widespread
destruction on the small island of Dominica, hit on Monday.
Maria, now a category three storm, is now lashing the
Dominican Republic further west and heading towards the
Turks and Caicos Islands.
It is the second devastating storm to hit the Caribbean this
hurricane season - the first being category five Irma earlier in
September.
'Our island destroyed'
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello described the hurricane
as "the most devastating storm in a century" and said that
Maria had hit the island's electricity grid so badly that it could
take months to restore power.
The storm is being blamed for at least 10 deaths across the
Caribbean. In Puerto Rico one man died after being struck by a
board he had used to cover his windows.
The authorities have warned people to move to higher ground
amid "catastrophic" flooding, and with up to 30 inches (76cm)
more rain predicted by Saturday.
Images shared on social media show roofs being stripped
away as winds as strong as 140 mph (225 km/h) whipped trees
and power lines in Puerto Rico's capital city, San Juan.
"God is with us; we are stronger than any hurricane," Mr
Rossello said . "Together we will rise again."
The governor has asked President Donald Trump to declare
the island a disaster area after the storm unleashed heavy
flooding and life-threatening winds, and damaged
infrastructure across the territory.
The US president is yet to do so, but has made federal
emergency aid available.
Hurricane Maria: What to do before, during and after
At the scene: A city under curfew
By Will Grant in San Juan, Puerto Rico
After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico - the biggest storm to
make landfall on the island in almost a century - the governor
of San Juan has ordered people to stay indoors between 18:00
and 06:00.
In part it is to protect people from accidents with so many
electrical cables down and debris in the streets. Furthermore
there are thousands of properties empty across the island
after people sought refuge with family and friends or in
emergency shelters.
Once the winds finally died down enough, residents ventured
out to assess the damage. On first impressions, it seems the
city has avoided widespread devastation but roofs have been
ripped off homes, many trees are down, some balconies have
fallen from the front of buildings and I saw at least one
building that had completely collapsed near the waterfront.
The real question of how bad Maria has been for Puerto Rico
will emerge as news comes in from the more remote regions.
Thankfully though, it does seem there has been no major loss
of life.
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