Puerto Rico braces for monster Maria; Florida on guard

Hurricane Maria, the second Category 5 storm to roar through the Caribbean in two weeks, was expected to hit Puerto Rico today and brush the northern coast of the Dominican Republic tonight or Thursday.

Even worse, the storm is likely to remain a Category 4 or 5 major hurricane.

Those are the two strongest hurricane classifications and storms of that magnitude are pretty much guaranteed to inflict widespread devastation.

“Slow weakening is expected after the hurricane emerges over the Atlantic north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic,” an 8 p.m. advisory said.

Forecasts still were predicting Maria will turn into the Atlantic and avoid Florida.

“The consensus models are in good agreement through five days, which carry the hurricane to the east of Florida,” said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

“Anything is possible though, so Floridians should keep watching it. There are likely to be swells, rip currents and heavy surf along parts of the coastline, regardless.”

Gov. Rick Scott also warned Floridians not to let their guard down. Speaking as he thanked first responders in Tampa, Scott encouraged residents to restock their hurricane kits, buy water and have an evacuation plan.

Officials in Puerto Rico were expecting the worst, with the island’s governor warning that Hurricane Maria will hit the island “with a force and violence that we haven’t seen for several generations.”

The storm was 160 miles southeast of San Juan Tuesday evening, its maximum wind speeds peaking at 175 mph, making Maria a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned that the entire island likely would experience the full brunt of hurricane-force winds.

“Folks, this is an extremely, extremely dangerous hurricane and it continues to inch its way onto St. Croix,” Mapp said.

It comes just after Hurricane Irma passed over the islands of St. John and St. Thomas to the north but largely spared St. Croix.

Authorities in Puerto Rico warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter.

“You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you’re going to die,” said Hector Pesquera, the island’s public safety commissioner.

Dan Kottlowski, a meteorologist and hurricane expert at AccuWeather, said, “It looks like it will be a devastating hit for Puerto Rico.”

“This could bring a tremendous amount of damage to the island, so we’re very concerned,” Kottlowski said.

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Facebook that initial reports are of widespread and “mind-boggling” devastation.

He feared there would be deaths from landslides.

Officials on the neighboring French island of Guadeloupe reported at least one death: a person hit by a falling tree.

They said two other people were reported missing after their boat sank off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe.

Information from The Associated Press supplemented this report.