ALERT: Hurricane Maria (September 22, 2017)
September 22, 2017
The 2017 hurricane season continues to cause destruction in the Caribbean, with Hurricane Maria as the latest storm to make landfall on various islands. As of this writing, at least 32 people have died.
The United States territory of Puerto Rico was particularly affected by Hurricane Maria, as the storm knocked out the electrical grid for the entire island. According to the New York Times:
Puerto Rico remained in the throes of chaos and devastation Thursday as the remnants of Hurricane Maria continued to dump rain on the island — up to three feet in some areas.
Flash flood warnings persisted, according to the National Hurricane Center, with “catastrophic” flooding “especially in areas of mountainous terrain.”
The strikingly powerful storm had rendered an estimated 3.4 million people without power, and with the territory’s energy grid all but destroyed, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló predicted a long period of recovery.
The Los Angeles Times notes that Maria caused numerous deaths in Puerto Rico:
At least 15 people were killed in Puerto Rico, according to El Nuevo Día newspaper, including eight drowned just west of San Juan and several buried in a landslide farther west in Utuado. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello told CNN he had reports of at least 13 storm fatalities.
Currently, all international airports in Puerto Rico are closed.
The storm continues towards The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos as a Category 3 hurricane. CBS News reports:
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the eye of Hurricane Maria is near the Turks and Caicos Islands while rains and dangerous high waves are starting to subside along the northern coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 35 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island and is moving northwest at 7 mph.
The Category 3 hurricane has maximum sustained winds near 125 mph but gradual weakening is expected during the next two days.
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