On Monday afternoon, hurricane Maria landed in the Caribbean with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). This is almost two times more than the power of the hurricane just 24 hours before – and it is expected that Maria will continue to grow, before you reach the leeward Islands by this evening.
According to forecasts of the National hurricane center, today at about 8 o’clock in the evening Maria will reach the leeward Islands, in particular Dominica and Martinique, as an extremely dangerous hurricane penultimate 4th power category on a scale of Saffira-Simpson. And on Wednesday for the first time in 85 years, Puerto Rico will suffer from direct impact of the hurricane of the 4th category. The Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello already declared a state of emergency.
Hurricane Maria is expected to become a catastrophic Cat. 4 moving toward the Caribbean. Please pray for the islands ??pic.twitter.com/jgCrIaQv4J
— Dominican Girls (@Dominicanbabesx) September 18, 2017
Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, has warned residents of the Islands, so they are not stocked products and other logistics. «The next few hours should be dedicated to cleaning houses, said Skerrit, in a televised speech. – This element doesn’t last very long, so your goal should be no reserves, and the mitigation of damage caused by objects that can fly up in the air.»
As reported by the national hurricane center, on Wednesday evening, flooding of the storm reached 12 inches, and in some areas is 20 inches.
«The amount of precipitation from 6 to 12 inches with isolated maximum amounts to 25 inches expected in Puerto Rico, says NHC. – Precipitation on all these Islands can cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides».
#HurricaneMaria, currently the 3rd named storm in the Atlantic, has now become an «extremely dangerous» Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. pic.twitter.com/YjfVQDATQQ
— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) September 18, 2017
Authorities in Puerto Rico said that 450 of the shelters can accommodate up to 125 428 people in an emergency. The Governor of Puerto Rico declared: «the time has Come to seek refuge with a family member, friend or move to a state orphanage because rescuers will not risk my life when the wind reaches 50 miles per hour.»
Recall, this morning the weatherman reported that Maria can reach the shore as the hurricane 2nd category, and by mid-week – will increase to 3 minutes. But, as you can see, the hurricane started to develop emergency quickly.
