Maria ‘reintensifies’ as it sweeps towards islands
HURRICANE Maria has “reintensified” into a category five storm as it sweeps towards British overseas territories already battered by Irma.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the hurricane had regained strength, with sustained winds of up to 160mph, as it approaches the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
Maria had briefly been downgraded to a category four storm after making landfall in Dominica on Monday, but US Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft reported it had returned to the highest hurricane category, meaning it could cause “catastrophic damage”.
Emergency steps are being undertaken on the BVI to prepare for the looming onslaught, although an official co-ordinating the operation has warned the islands had been “weakened” by Irma and the situation “doesn’t look good”.
Relief workers are racing to secure debris left strewn across the islands that has the potential to make the coming hurricane “more hazardous” if it is picked up by strong winds.
Another British overseas territory, Montserrat, has been issued with a hurricane warning amid fears Maria could bring a devastating storm surge, while torrential rain could trigger deadly flash floods.
UK International Development Secretary Priti Patel said the government is under no illusion about the possible impact of the strengthening hurricane and said they were taking steps to prepare communities.
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to the BVI, warning residents to identify shelter “immediately” and be ready to take cover when the hurricane approaches, as well as all but essential travel to Montserrat.
Following a similar path to Irma, Maria was expected to reach the British Virgin Islands last night and into today.
Brigadier John Ridge, the second in command of the UK’s Joint Task Force, said whichever direction the hurricane went, “it is bad”.
“They are either going to get the wind, which will pick up all the debris that is lying around,” he said.
“And also, irritatingly, where they have made progress in getting covers over the houses and power lines up, it will potentially damage that again.
“Or they get a huge amount of rain, which is also bad because of the blockages in the drainage channels – so the potential for some quite serious flooding as well.
“Whatever happens, look good, sadly.” it doesn’t
Meanwhile, the NHC has issued a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the area, for the island of Anguilla, a British overseas territory badly affected by Hurricane Irma.
Up to 15in (38cm) of rain is predicted to fall as Maria barrels across the Caribbean, with “isolated maximum amounts of 20in (51cm)” expected to deluge the British Virgin Islands.
In Anguilla up to eight inches (20cm) could be recorded. The NHC has warned that “rainfall on these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides”.
Brigadier Ridge said the combination of tidal surges and flooding on the British Virgin Islands is something that is worrying the governor, Gus Jaspert.
“They had an hour’s rain a few days ago and that created four foot of flooding, so if you get potentially 12 hours of rain you can imagine how much worse that will be,” he added.
Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, said the hurricane had wrought “widespread devastation” and the islanders had “lost all what money can buy and replace”.
He said in a Facebook post: “The winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with.”