Hurricane Maria lashes Dominican Republic

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria thrashed parts of the Dominican Republic with heavy rain and high winds as it passed off its east coast yesterday after making a direct hit on Puerto Rico that caused severe flooding and cut power to almost all the island.

Maria has killed at least 10 people as it raged through the Caribbean region, the second major hurricane to do so this month.

It ripped roofs off almost all structures on the island country of Dominica, where seven people were confirmed dead and the number is expected to climb when searches resume at daybreak.

Maria was ranked a Category 4 storm, near the top end of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of up to 250 km per hour, when it hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the strongest storm to hit the U.S. territory in nearly 90 years.

It tore roofs from buildings, snapped power lines and turned roadways into torrents laden with debris as it cut a diagonal swath across the island.

The island’s governor, Ricardo Rossello, said the only fatality immediately reported was a man struck by a piece of lumber hurled by high winds.

“It’s nothing short of a major disaster,” Rossello said in a CNN interview, adding it may take months for the island’s electricity to be completely restored. Earlier he imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island.

– REUTERS.