Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, carved a path of destruction through the US territory on Wednesday, causing widespread flooding and knocking power out across the island after killing at least nine people elsewhere in the Caribbean. Maria, the second major hurricane to roar through the region this month, was generating sustained winds of up to 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour) when it came ashore near Yabucoa, on the southeastern end of the island of 3.4 million people.

Making landfall as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the storm ripped roofs from buildings and turned low-lying roadways into rushing debris-laden rivers. The streets of historic Old Town in the capital, San Juan, were strewn with broken balconies, air conditioning units, shattered lamp posts, fallen power lines and dead birds. Few trees escaped unscathed. Thick branches were torn down from most and others were simply uprooted.

“The danger continues – there are flood warnings for the whole of Puerto Rico,” Governor Ricardo Rossello warned residents on Twitter as the storm headed offshore. “Stay in safe places.” He later imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island. News pictures showed whole blocks flooded in areas of the capital, such as the Hato Rey neighborhood. The Miami-based US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported “catastrophic flash flooding” in portions of the island.

“When we are able to go outside, we are going to find our island destroyed,” Abner Gomez, the director of the island’s emergency management agency, known by its Spanish language acronym AEMEAD, was quoted as saying by El Nuevo Dia newspaper. “It’s a system that has destroyed everything in its path.”

Electricity was believed to be out across the island, said Pedro Cerame, a spokesman for the governor. Authorities had not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage, he said. By 5 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), Maria’s center was located just north of the island, NHC said. As is typical for hurricanes passing over hilly or mountainous terrain, Maria was considerably weakened by the time it moved offshore, with top wind speeds diminishing to 110 mph (175 kph), though the NHC said the storm was likely to regain some strength in the next day or two.

Maria was expected to pass near the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic Wednesday night and Thursday before approaching the Turks and Caicos Islands and sothe southeastern Bahamasn Thursday night and Friday, the NHC said. So far, it looked unlikely to threaten the continental United States. Storm-related rainfall was expected to range from 20 to 25 inches (50 to 65 cm) on much of Puerto Rico through Friday, according to NHC.

Maria had ranked as a Category 5 storm when it struck the eastern Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Monday night with devastating force, killing at least seven people there, government officials. Two more people died in the French territory of Guadeloupe before Maria raked St. Croix, the southern-most of the US Virgin Islands, early on Wednesday, causing widespread damage.

Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, also left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people. The two other main US Virgin Islands – St. Thomas and St. John – were both hard hit by Irma.

Many homes and businesses across Puerto Rico have wooden or tin roofs, cheaper building materials that also keep homes cooler in the balmy Caribbean climate, but that are no match for storms of the intensity of Maria. “This might be a new, permanent part of our lives,” said Ramon Claudio Ortiz, 71, a retired lawyer. “We’re going to have to revisit our building codes.”

Maria was the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit Puerto Rico, behind the 1928 San Felipe Segundo hurricane, which struck the island as a Category 5 storm and killed more than 300 people. The latest hurricanes came at a time when the island is struggling financially, grappling with the largest municipal debt crisis in US history. Both its government and the public utility have filed for bankruptcy protection amid disputes with creditors.

Even though Irma passed north of Puerto Rico, it knocked out power for 70 percent of the island, and killed at least three people. Passing just to the west of St. Croix, home to about half of the US Virgin Islands’ 110,000 residents, Maria damaged an estimated 65 percent to 70 percent of the island’s buildings, said Holland Redfield, who served six terms in the US Virgin Islands senate.

“There were a lot of homes that had lost their roofs. It was a sad sight,” Redfield said in a phone interview. “I’m in a very densely populated area now, and I see a tremendous amount of confusion. A lot of trees are down.” Officials on St. Croix could not be reached for comment.

In Guadeloupe, many roads were blocked and 40 percent of the population was without power, France’s overseas territories ministry said. The island of Dominica, with a population of about 73,000, was devastated by Maria earlier in the week. Hartley Henry, principal adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that “the country is in a daze.”

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>The British Virgin Islands have been "spared the worst" from Hurricane Maria, the governor has said, as the storm continues her path of destruction towards another UK overseas territory, PA reports.

Gus Jaspert, governor of the British Virgin Islands, which was wrecked by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, said initial assessments suggested fresh damage is relatively low.

"We had high winds, we had a bit of flooding, and we had bit of a storm surge that knocked out some of the roads - but that thankfully we have been spared the worst", he said.

"We are very mindful that others and colleagues in the region felt its full force and our thoughts are very much with them at the moment."

Mr Jaspert said one of his first priorities on Thursday is to head to the other British Virgin Islands on a helicopter from RFA Mounts Bay to fully assess the damage there.

"We prepared for the worst, it hasn't been the worst which is good. We are back on to our recovery focus, which is our key thing," he said.

He revealed that there were no deaths, but that someone who was seriously injured during the latest hurricane is due to be medevaced off Virgin Gorda on Thursday.</s>(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Puerto Rico pummeled the island Wednesday, tearing off roofs and sending doors flying from hinges as officials warned Hurricane Maria would decimate the power company's crumbling infrastructure and force the government to rebuild dozens of communities.

Maria, which has killed at least nine in the Caribbean, made landfall early Wednesday in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa as a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 kph) winds, and it was expected to punish the island with life-threatening winds for 12 to 24 hours, forecasters said.

People calling local radio stations reported that doors were flying off hinges and a water tank flew away in the island's southern region. Meanwhile, widespread flooding was reported in the capital of San Juan, with water running down one apartment's interior staircase.

"This is going to be an extremely violent phenomenon," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "We have not experienced an event of this magnitude in our modern history."

Metal roofs were already flying and windows were breaking as the storm approached before dawn, with nearly 900,000 people without power and one tree falling on an ambulance. Those who sought shelter at a coliseum in San Juan were moved to the building's second and third floors, reported radio station WKAQ 580 AM. The storm was moving across Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning at 10 mph (17 kph), with a gust of 113 mph (182 kph) reported in the capital of San Juan, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Maria, which had previously been a Category 5 storm with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, hit Puerto Rico as the third strongest storm to make landfall in the United States based on a key measurement that meteorologists use: air pressure. The lower the central pressure a storm the stronger it is and Maria's pressure was 917 millibars, lower than Irma's U.S. landfall of 929 millibars in the Florida Keys earlier this month.

Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by hurricanes that tend to veer north or south of the island. The last Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico occurred in 1932, and the strongest storm to ever hit the island was San Felipe in 1928 with winds of 160 mph.

As Maria approached, U.S. President Donald Trump offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!"

More than 4,400 people were in shelters by late Tuesday, along with 105 pets, Rossello said.

The storm's center passed near or over St. Croix overnight Tuesday, prompting U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp to insist that people remain alert. St. Croix was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago. But this time, the island would experience five hours of hurricane force winds, Mapp said.

"For folks in their homes, I really recommend that you not be in any kind of sleepwear," he said during a brief news conference. "Make sure you have your shoes on. Make sure you have a jacket around. Something for your head in case your roof should breach. ... I don't really recommend you be sleeping from 11 o'clock to 4 (a.m.). ... Be aware of what's going on around you."

Maria killed two people in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials said.

About 40 percent of the island — 80,000 homes — were without power and flooding was reported in several communities.

The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page, including that his own roof had blown away.

"The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote before communications went down.

Hartley Henry, an adviser to Skerrit, said there have been seven confirmed deaths in the Caribbean country from Hurricane Maria. Hartley Henry didn't give details about how the deaths occurred.

The storm knocked out communications for the entire island, leaving anyone outside Dominica struggling to determine the extent of damage, though it was clearly widespread. "The situation is really grave," Consul General Barbara Dailey said in a telephone interview from New York.

She said she lost contact with the island about 4 a.m. At that point, officials had learned that 70 percent of homes had lost their roofs, including her own.

Flooding was a big concern, given the island's steep mountains, cut through with rivers that rage even after a heavy rain. Dominica was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika, which killed 30 people and destroyed more than 370 homes in August 2015.

Forecasters said the storm surge from Maria could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

To the north, Hurricane Jose weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday night. Forecasters said dangerous surf and rip currents were likely to continue along the U.S. East Coast but said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by Jose swept five people off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island and they were hospitalized after being rescued.

A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut.</s>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The island of Puerto Rico is completely without electricity, a spokesman from the governor’s office said Wednesday.

“We are 100 percent without power,” the spokesman said.

The storm, a Category 3 as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, kept thrashing Puerto Rico, ripping trees out of the ground and hammering two-thirds of the island with hurricane-force winds.

“This is total devastation,” said Carlos Mercader, a spokesman for Puerto Rico’s governor. “Puerto Rico, in terms of the infrastructure, will not be the same. … This is something of historic proportions.”

Maria killed seven people on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica, said Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Browne said he had been communicating with the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, who reported “widespread devastation” and whose own house was shredded by the storm.

Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday near the city of Yabucoa with winds of 155 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. By 11 a.m., those winds had weakened to 140 mph, but Maria was still a Category 4 hurricane capable of ripping roofs off houses.

Maria was expected to dump at least 12 to 18 inches of rain on the island before barreling toward the Dominican Republic starting Wednesday night, then on to Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas by Thursday night, the National Hurricane Center predicted.

Holed up in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, Geffrard Dejoie said his hotel already was deluged by midmorning Wednesday.

“We are all sheltered in the hallways, as a few windows in some rooms have broken,” said Dejoie, a traveling tennis coach. “We also are located very close to the lagoon, and the water is coming up on the lobby, so we had to move to higher floors.”

Puerto Rican Olympic gymnast Tommy Ramos, who’s riding out the storm in the northern city of Vega Baja, posted video of gusts blowing debris in front of him.

“The house is steady,” Ramos told CNN. “What scares us is the flooding.”

Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic under the gun

Beyond Puerto Rico, a hurricane warning was in effect for the British and US Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, the southeastern Bahamas and the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata, the hurricane center said.

At 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, Maria was centered about 25 miles west of San Juan. It was heading northwest at 12 mph.

Dangerous storm surges “accompanied by large and destructive waves” will raise water levels 10 to 15 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning areas of the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, the hurricane center said.

And the British and US Virgin Islands could get pummeled with at least 5 to 10 inches of rain.

‘First responders cannot go out there’

The hurricane slammed Puerto Rico with such intensity, it broke two National Weather Service radars on the island.

Calls for rescue immediately started pouring in — but to no avail.

“First responders cannot go out there,” Mercader said, echoing the governor’s earlier warning that emergency crews wouldn’t go outside in winds stronger than 50 mph.

Maria was expected to cause widespread power outages across Puerto Rico. Shortly after landfall, the storm had wiped out power in the east coast city of Fajardo.

Maria became the first hurricane of Category 4 strength or higher in 85 years to hit the US territory, home to 3.3 million people.

Thousands of Puerto Ricans heeded calls to go to emergency shelters. “As of 2:30 a.m. we count 10,059 refugees and 189 pets (in shelters),” the island’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, tweeted.

After the storm made landfall, Rosselló asked US President Donald Trump to declare Puerto Rico a disaster zone, the governor tweeted.

Some tourists found themselves stranded on the island as flights, already overbooked and increasingly expensive, became unavailable.

Heather Farrell was on her honeymoon with her husband, Luke, after their September 9 wedding. The couple had tried to cut the trip short but couldn’t.

“We did try to get off, as early as Saturday, but all flights were either booked or canceled,” she said. “We actually are on the ocean — our room faces the ocean. It’s pretty windy, but there is no rain. We’ll stay inside for now.”

Hotel staff had asked all guests to head downstairs early Wednesday morning to take shelter in a safe room, Farrell said.

Nick Bailey, Brandon Edwards and John Michael Berndt — three friends from northern California — chose this week to vacation on the island. They were aware of Maria, which was only a tropical depression when they left California.

“Our hostel is taking good care of us,” Berndt said, adding that staff there had boarded all the windows and created a concrete hurricane barrier.

“This is a good area, apparently,” Bailey said. “It’s close to hospitals and emergency centers.”

The men also were moved to rooms deeper inside the hostel — without any windows.

As Maria pushed through the Caribbean toward Puerto Rico, two people were missing after a boat sank off the coast of La Désirade, a small island near the mainland of Guadeloupe. About 80,000 people, or 40% of households on the island, were left without power, the government said.

The storm also caused “widespread devastation” in Dominica, the country’s Prime Minister said Tuesday. Maria ripped off the roof of his own house and left much of the island — population 73,000 — in ruins.</s>(U.S. Edition) Though much of Puerto Rico was spared from Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria is now bearing down. We'll take a look at the efforts the territory is making to shelter evacuees. Afterwards, we'll discuss a new report that shows nearly 9 out of every 10 U.S. students have adequate internet bandwidth in their classrooms — a huge increase from four years ago when less than 10 percent did. How'd the digital divide get narrowed so quickly? Plus: We interview Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney with the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, about the push to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.</s>Hurricane Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm. The US and British Virgin Islands were hit hard by Maria as well, with a wind gust of 106 mph reported overnight in St. Croix.

The entire territory of Puerto Rico was without power as of Wednesday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center has warned of flooding and landslides as 6-9 feet of storm surge and 20+ inches of rain are both possible.

Maria moved over Puerto Rico after making landfall over Dominica Monday night as a Category 5 storm. Maria had strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane Monday evening, becoming the fourth major hurricane of the Atlantic Basin’s 2017 season and the second Category 5 storm of the 2017 season.

Maria is now moving past Puerto Rico, moving to the north side of Hispaniola . A Hurricane Warning extends from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas.

Maria is expected to take a turn to the north, missing Florida by the end of the week. Most models are in agreement that Maria will stay out to sea from the US Mainland and weaken through next weekend. There is still a chance however that Maria could impact the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast Coast next week. The likely impacts would be similar to those of Jose, with high seas and rough surf along the east coast.

Below is additional information from the National Hurricane Center.

…DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AND FLOODING CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF PUERTO

 RICO…

 …CENTER OF MARIA APPROACHING THE NORTHERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO… SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST…1500 UTC…INFORMATION

 ———————————————–

 LOCATION…18.4N 66.5W

 ABOUT 15 MI…25 KM ESE OF ARECIBO PUERTO RICO

 ABOUT 25 MI…40 KM W OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO

 MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…140 MPH…220 KM/H

 PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 305 DEGREES AT 12 MPH…19 KM/H

 MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…930 MB…27.47 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS

 ——————–

 CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: The government of France has discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning

 for St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. The government of St. Maarten has discontinued the Tropical Storm

 Warning and Hurricane Watch for St. Maarten. The government of the Netherlands has discontinued the Tropical

 Storm Warning for Saba. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…

 * U.S. Virgin Islands

 * British Virgin Islands

 * Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques

 * Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata

 * Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…

 * Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border of

 the Dominican Republic and Haiti

 * Dominican Republic west of Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…

 * Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Cabo Engano A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected

 somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and

 property should be rushed to completion. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are

 expected somewhere within the warning area. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible

 within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before

 the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds,

 conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Interests elsewhere in Hispaniola and the Bahamas should monitor the

 progress of Maria. For storm information specific to your area in the United States,

 including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor

 products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast

 office. For storm information specific to your area outside the

 United States, please monitor products issued by your national

 meteorological service. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK

 ——————————

 At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Maria was located

 inland over Puerto Rico near latitude 18.4 North, longitude 66.5

 West. Maria is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h),

 and this general motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is

 expected through early Friday. On the forecast track, the center of

 Maria will move offshore of the northern coast of Puerto Rico during

 the next couple of hours. The center will then pass offshore of the

 northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday

 and then move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern

 Bahamas Thursday night and Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 km/h) with higher

 gusts. Maria is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson

 Hurricane Wind Scale. Little change in strength is forecast during

 the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to remain a dangerous

 major hurricane through Friday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the

 center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150

 miles (240 km). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

 ———————-

 WIND: Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are occurring over

 Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Tropical storm conditions are

 expected to begin in the warning areas in the Dominican Republic

 this afternoon, with hurricane conditions starting in the hurricane

 warning area tonight. Tropical storm conditions are expected to

 begin in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas

 Thursday morning, with hurricane conditions starting Thursday

 evening. Wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains

 and on high-rise buildings could be much stronger than the near-

 surface winds indicated in this advisory. STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the

 tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by

 rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water is

 expected to reach the following heights above ground if the peak

 surge occurs at the time of high tide… The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to

 the north and east of the landfall location, where the surge will be

 accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding

 depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and

 can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to

 your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather

 Service forecast office. A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves

 will raise water levels by as much as 4 to 6 feet above normal tide

 levels in the hurricane warning area in the Dominican Republic, and

 1 to 3 ft elsewhere along the northern coasts of the Dominican

 Republic and Haiti. A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves

 will raise water levels by as much as 10 to 15 feet above normal

 tide levels in the hurricane warning area near and to the north of

 the center of Maria for both the Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks

 and Caicos Islands. RAINFALL: Maria is expected to produce the following rainfall

 totals through Friday: Puerto Rico…12 to 18 inches, isolated 25 inches

 U.S. and British Virgin Islands…additional 5 to 10 inches,

 isolated 15 inches

 Northern and eastern Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and

 southeast Bahamas…8 to 16 inches, isolated 20 inches

 Northern Haiti…2 to 4 inches Rainfall on these islands will cause life-threatening flash floods

 and mudslides TORNADOES: Several tornadoes are possible over Puerto Rico and the

 U.S. Virgin Islands today. THE EYE: Do not venture outside when the calm eye of the hurricane

 passes over, as dangerous winds will return very quickly when the

 eye moves away. SURF: Swells generated by Maria are affecting the Leeward Islands,

 Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These swells will begin

 affecting the northern coast of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos

 Islands, and the Southeastern Bahamas during the next day or two.

 These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip

 current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather

 office.</s>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans stunned by a hurricane that knocked out power for the whole island and paralyzed the U.S. territory with landslides, flooding and downed trees vowed to slowly rebuild amid an economic crisis as rescue crews fanned out Thursday.

The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remained isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years.

Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone's safety.

"This is going to be a historic event for Puerto Rico," said Abner Gomez, the island's emergency management director.

Previously a Category 5 with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, Maria hit Puerto Rico as the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Hurricane Irma that storm roared into the Florida Keys earlier this month.

In the capital of San Juan, towering eucalyptus trees fell nearly every other block over a main road dotted with popular bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, some of which were damaged. Outside a nearby apartment building, 40-year-old tourism company operator Adrian Pacheco recounted how he spent eight hours in a stairwell huddled with 100 other residents when the hurricane ripped the storm shutters off his building and decimated three balconies.

"I think people didn't expect the storm to reach the point that it did," he said. "Since Irma never really happened, they thought Maria would be the same."

Hurricane Irma sideswiped Puerto Rico on Sept. 6, leaving more than 1 million people without power but causing no deaths or widespread damage like it did on nearby islands. Maria, however, blew out windows at some hospitals and police stations, turned some streets into roaring rivers and destroyed hundreds of homes across Puerto Rico, including 80 per cent of houses in a small fishing community near the San Juan Bay, which unleashed a storm surge of more than 4 feet.

"Months and months and months and months are going to pass before we can recover from this," Felix Delgado, mayor of the northern coastal city of Catano, told The Associated Press.</s>Updated at 9:12 a.m. ET

After devastating parts of the Caribbean, Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico at 6:15 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had previously been a Category 5 hurricane, but even downgraded, it packed powerful sustained winds of 150 mph and is the strongest hurricane to have hit the island in decades.

Maria's eye closed in on the island near the eastern municipality of Yabucoa. The NHC says the eye will continue to move across the U.S. territory Wednesday morning and will move off the northern coast by afternoon.

"The center will then pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday," according to the hurricane center.

"Very high winds are just tearing trees apart," Miguel Santiago with member station WRTU in San Juan reported Wednesday morning. "Most of the island is without power ... or water."

Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by a hurricane and most recently avoided Irma, which went on to strike Florida.

In the days before Maria hit the island, Puerto Ricans were urged to heed hurricane warnings and evacuation orders.

"We expect severe devastation," Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told NPR. "We have about 500 shelters. People have been trickling into those shelters. But really, we have some weak infrastructure in terms of some of the homes that we have in Puerto Rico."

By late Tuesday, more than 4,000 people on the island had gone to shelters to wait out Maria, the governor tweeted.

"One of the shelters in San Juan had to relocate refugees to the hallways because of the roof, it was shaking due to the winds," Santiago said.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!"

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, a falling tree killed one person on the island of Guadeloupe Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. Two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials told the news agency.

The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday. NPR's Two-Way reports:</s>CLEVELAND - As Hurricane Maria bears down, Northeast Ohio residents with loved ones in Puerto Rico are expressing concern for their safety.

"My parents, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles, 95-percent of my family's there right now, so I have some concern that's for sure," said June Colon.

Colon lives in Cleveland, but most of his family lives in the path of Hurricane Maria, in the city of Guayama, on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico.

"We have everything we need...the food, the water, we have radios, the batteries, we have flashlights," said Maria Rodriguez.

We spoke to Colon's mother Tuesday afternoon by Facetime, as Hurricane Maria barreled toward the shore. At the time, the weather was cloudy and breezy, but Maria says she, her husband and parents are ready when the weather turns ugly.

"This house was constructed in 1870, so it's a historical house. It's a solid house, so hopefully it will stand. We do have some trees in front of the house, two large trees, you can see those trees right there," she said.

"They've gone through so many hurricanes in the past that I think there's some kind of pride or sense of security, knowing that they've been through one of them. They've been through them all, even though this one seems larger than past hurricanes," said Colon.

"It's sort of like a New Orleans style, you see we have these shutters, they're almost like doors," said Rodriguez.

Maria says if they feel in danger, they will seek shelter somewhere else, but for now, she doesn't seem worried.

"The house is about five feet up from the sidewalk, so we have plenty of room if it floods," she said.

"I've got two or three different ways of contacting her, I called her this morning, with my son with me just to say hi, trying not to show that I'm actually afraid or anything like that," said Colon.</s>Updated at 9:12 a.m. ET

After devastating parts of the Caribbean, Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico at 6:15 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had previously been a Category 5 hurricane, but even downgraded, it packed powerful sustained winds of 150 mph and is the strongest storm to have hit the island in decades.

After several deaths were reported in the Caribbean, Maria's eye closed in on the island near the eastern municipality of Yabucoa. The NHC says the eye will continue to move across the U.S. territory Wednesday morning and will move off the northern coast by afternoon.

"The center will then pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday," according to the hurricane center.

"Very high winds are just tearing trees apart," Miguel Santiago with member station WRTU in San Juan reported Wednesday morning. "Most of the island is without power ... or water."

As the punishing winds moved over the island, doors were ripped off hinges, roofs went airborne and widespread flooding was reported in the capital city of San Juan, says The Associated Press.

Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by a hurricane; the last Category 4 storm to make landfall on the island was in 1932, reports the AP. Most recently, Puerto Rico avoided the worst of Irma, which went on to strike Florida.

In the days before Maria hit the island, Puerto Ricans were urged to heed hurricane warnings and evacuation orders.

"We expect severe devastation," Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told NPR on Tuesday. "We have about 500 shelters. People have been trickling into those shelters. But really, we have some weak infrastructure in terms of some of the homes that we have in Puerto Rico."

By late Tuesday, more than 4,000 people on the island had gone to shelters to wait out Maria, the governor tweeted.

"One of the shelters in San Juan had to relocate refugees to the hallways because of the roof, it was shaking due to the winds," Santiago said.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!"

The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday. An adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the storm killed at least seven people there, according to the AP.

Skerrit had been active on social media, posting multiple times about the storm's effects. Monday night he wrote, "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding." He later said he had been rescued.

His last Facebook post was made in the early hours of Tuesday, since then — silence. "Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit wrote just after midnight Tuesday. "My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured."

"We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds."

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, two people were killed on the island of Guadeloupe, the AP reports. Two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials told the news agency.
Hurricane Maria makes landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Effects are disastrous and the entire island loses power. Seven deaths are reported on Puerto Rico, along with two on Guadeloupe. Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló declares a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew through Saturday.