Hurricane Maria pummels Puerto Rico, floods reported
SANJUAN,PUERTORICO: Hurricane MariaslammedintoPuertoRico on Wednesday as the strongest storm to hit the US territory in nearly 90 years, downing power to most of the island, flooding someareasandrippingwindows out in the capital, San Juan.
Maria,thesecondmajorhurricane to roar through the Caribbean this month, made landfall near Yabucoa, on the southwest of the island of 3.4 million people. Thousands of people were seeking safety in shelters.
Carrying winds of 220 kmph, driving high storm surges and drenching rains, Maria left up to 90%oftheislandwithoutelectricity, El Nuevo Dia newspaper quoted Governor Ricardo Rossello as saying.
In thesouthcoast city of Guayama, west of where Maria blew ashore, storm waters turned streets into fast-running rivers carrying wind-downed debris.
Mariakilledatleasttwopeople in the French territory of Guade- loupe as it barrelled through the Caribbean.ItdevastatedDominica and caused widespread damage on St Croix of the US Virgin Islands.
Mariawasexpectedtodumpas much as 66 cm of rain on parts of Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Centre said. Storm surges, when hurricanes push ocean water dangerously over normal levels, could be up to 2.7 metres. The heavy rainfall could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, it added.
There were hurricane warnings and watches in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the southeastern BahamasandtheDominicanRepublic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata.