Hurricane Maria may hit with ‘catastrophic’ force

HURRICANE Maria is hurtling towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with the US National Hurricane Centre warning of a “potentially catastrophic” impact as it battered the eastern Caribbean.

“Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous Category Four or Five hurricane while it approaches” the British and US territories late on Tuesday (local time), the NHC said.

At least one person has been killed in Guadeloupe, reportedly by a falling tree, while two others were reported missing after their ship sank off De“We sirade, the eastern most island in the French territory’s archipelago.

On neighbouring Dominica, Premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook details of “widespread devastation” as Maria made landfall with winds of up to 257km/h.

have lost all what money can buy and replace,” he wrote. “My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.”

Earlier, he said his roof had been torn off and house flooded, leaving him “at the complete mercy of the hurricane”.

After being rescued, Mr Skerrit appealed for “help of all kinds” but noted specifically that authorities would need helicopters to survey the damage. Dominica’s airport and ports have been closed.