Deadly Hurricane Maria STRENGTHENS to 175mph as ‘mind-boggling’ storm claims first victim in the Caribbean
There are fears the new superstorm could whip up debris left by Irma and launch them like 'deadly airborne missiles' at terrified residents
HURRICANE Maria has killed at least one person in Guadeloupe as winds in the Category 5 storm rose to a staggering 175mph.
Last night the storm smashed into Dominica, a mountainous country of 72,000 people, causing what Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called "mind-boggling" destruction.
And terrified Puerto Ricans have been told to “evacuate or die” as powerful Maria bore down on the US territory after savaging Dominica overnight.
The Category 5 storm has even STRENGTHENED to 175mph and is expected to “devastate” the Caribbean island tomorrow after developing a “pin hole eye” producing a more intense centre.
“On the forecast track, [Maria] would be the most destructive hurricane in Puerto Rico history,” , a forecaster at the Hurricane Center.
Puerto Rico faced the possibility of a direct hit, the worst storm in decades, officials said.
Authorities warned those in wooden homes to evacuate before the hurricane arrived some time Wednesday.
“Otherwise, you’re going to die,” said Hector Pesquera, the island’s public safety commissioner. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer.”
Residents on Puerto Rico, which was also battered by Hurricane Irma, have been told to find shelter as Maria hurtles towards them.
A curfew has been placed on the British Virgin Islands as rescuers bid to clear the damage left by Irma which experts claim could be whipped up and launched like “deadly airborne missiles”, reports the BBC.
While Maria is following roughly the same path as Irma, it is not known whether the new megastorm will threaten the US mainland.
Last night, Maria slammed into Dominica with Category Five 160mph winds making it the first hurricane to strike the island nation since Hurricane David in 1979.
North of Dominica, the French island territory of Guadeloupe appeared to have been hit hard. The Guadeloupe prefecture said one person was killed by a falling tree and at least two people were missing in a shipwreck.
Some roofs had been ripped off, roads were blocked by fallen trees, 80,000 households were without power and there was flooding in some southern coastal areas, the prefecture said in Twitter posts.
The islands are only starting to begin the task of rebuilding after Hurricane Irma killed at least 84 and ravaged dozens of islands last week.
It is not yet known if Hurricane Maria has caused any deaths in Dominica but it left most of the island without power and in a "total blackout".
Roosevelt Skerrit, the prime minister of Dominica, told Telesur TV: "My greatest fear is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury, possible deaths … Come tomorrow morning we will hit the road in search of the injured and those trapped in the rubble.
"Winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with.
"My focus now is rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance. We will need help of all kinds … Dominica needs support from friends for helicopter services to get around the country [and] determine what’s needed."
He had posted on Facebook as the powerful storm hit: "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.
"The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God.
"We do not know what is happening outside. We not dare look out.
"All we are hearing is the sounds of galvanize [roofing] flying. The sound of the fury of the wind. As we pray for its end."
He reported his road had gone and his house had begun to flood.
After passing over Dominica the strength of the winds dipped slightly to 155mph - the US National Hurricane Center downgraded it to a Category 4 storm but wrote: "Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane while is approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico."
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Hurricane warnings remain in effect for Dominica, Guadeloupe,Montserrat, St Kitts & Nevis, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands , Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.
Hurricane Maria is predicted to move along the similar path to Irma.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, urged islanders to brace for the storm's arrival, saying, "It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter."
Maria would be the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years, since a Category 4 storm swept the US island territory in 1932.
Maria could hit the island on Wednesday, said Ernesto Morales with the US National Weather Service in San Juan.
"This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island," he said. "All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds."
The storm was predicted to bring six to 12 inches of rain across the Leeward islands, with more in isolated areas.
Officials in Guadeloupe said the French Caribbean island would experience extremely heavy flooding starting Monday afternoon, and they warned that many communities would be submerged.
Last night officials on the island ordered evacuations as the potentially deadly edged closer.
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