SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Maria (all times local): 7 p.m…
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Maria (all times local):
7 p.m.
The U. S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism says people who want to visit the Caribbean territory should postpone their trip while authorities assess the effects of Hurricane Maria on St. Croix and recover from the damage to St. Thomas and St. John from Hurricane Irma.
The department says Hurricane Maria brought heavy rainfall and flooding to St. Croix when it passed to the south of the island and communications throughout the islands are limited.
There were no immediate reports Wednesday of any casualties from the storm on St. Croix.
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5 p.m.
The U. S. National Hurricane Center says Maria has lost its major hurricane status, dropping to a Category 2 storm after raking Puerto Rico. But forecasters say some strengthening is in the forecast and Maria could again become a major hurricane by Thursday.
An update from the Miami-based center says a hurricane hunter plane clocked the top sustained winds of the storm at near 110 mph (175 kph) with higher gusts about 5 p.m. Wednesday. Maria’s fierce core was centered about 25 miles (45 kilometers) north-northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and moving to the northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
Forecasters say the dangerous storm system will continue moving away from the northwest coast of Puerto Rico in coming hours. It’s then expected to pass offshore of the northeast coast of the Dominical Republic this evening and early Thursday.
Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Jose is still kicking up dangerous surf and currents along much of the U. S. Eastern seaboard. The storm’s center was located at 5 p.m. Wednesday about 145 miles (235 kilometers) south-southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts and had top sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph). It’s moving northeast at 8 mph (13 kph).
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4:30 p.m.
The head of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency says the airport and seaports of Dominica remain closed after Hurricane Maria and officials are trying to work out the best ways to get relief supplies to the battered island.
Director General Ronald Jackson says in a radio interview that authorities are using helicopters to carry emergency food, water and shelter materials to Dominica. He added in the interview with RJR News of Jamaica that once the airport opens it will allow them to greatly expand the effort on an island where officials say the storm caused at least 7 deaths.
He also said Wednesday that relief agencies may have to drop people into remote communities with satellite phones because many areas are both inaccessible and there is little to no communication on the island.
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2:45 p.m.
An official at the U. S. Virgin Islands Emergency Operations Center says there are no immediate reports of deaths or injuries on St. Croix from Hurricane Maria but a full assessment hasn’t been completed. Spokeswoman Nykole Tyson says the storm tore many roofs off of buildings and downed trees across the island.
Winds were still strong Wednesday more than five hours after the eye passed close to the island, making it too dangerous for people to venture out and conduct a thorough check.
Some people were trapped in their bathrooms or fled to their cars after losing the roof on their home. Tyson says the Department of Public Health building where she spent the night shook during the storm, which she called « frightening. »
It comes after St. Thomas and St. John are still reeling from being hit by Hurricane Irma on Sept. 6.
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2:30 p.m.
About 4,000 tourists in the Bavara-Punta Cana area on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic have been moved to hotels in Santo Domingo because of Hurricane Maria.
Hotel Association President Joel Santos said the tourists were evacuated from the beach resort because of the threat posed by the powerful storm.
Maria was already triggering thunderstorms Wednesday and was expected to pass about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the area.
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2 p.m.
Maria has weakened slightly to a Category 3 major hurricane after crashing across Puerto Rico and its center is now moving offshore of the island’s northwest coast.
The U. S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is slowly starting to move away from Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 kph). Little change in strength is forecast over the next 48 hours.
The Miami-based center says Maria was centered at 2 p.m. Wednesday about 15 miles (20 kilometers) west of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It’s moving to the northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). It’s expected to pass offshore of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic late Wednesday and Thursday.
In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Jose’s outer rainbands are approaching southern New England’s coast. The hurricane center says dangerous surf and rip currents will affect much of the U. S. East Coast for days. Jose, a former hurricane, was about 140 miles (230 kilometers) south-southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts with top sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph).
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12:40 p.m.
Felix Delgado, mayor of the city of Catano on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, told WAPA Television that 80 percent of the homes in a hard-hit neighborhood known as Juana Matos are « destroyed. »
There were no immediate details from Delgado. That report came after forecasters said Hurricane Maria was approaching the northern coast with destructive winds after raking over the island.
Maria, which left at least nine people dead in its wake across the Caribbean, blew ashore in the morning in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph (250 kph). Maria slowly crossed the island, knocking down communication towers, snapping trees and unloading heavy rains. Widespread flooding was reported across the island, with dozens of cars half-submerged in some neighborhoods and many streets turned into rivers.
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11 a.m.
Hurricane Maria is now approaching the northern coast of Puerto Rico as destructive winds and flooding are continuing.
The U. S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says the eye of the Category 4 major hurricane is now located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of San Juan, the capital. Maximum sustained winds are 140 mph (220 kph) and the storm is moving to the northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
The Miami-based hurricane center says little change in strength is expected in the coming 48 hours as Maria remains a dangerous major hurricane. It says tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the Dominican Republica this afternoon with hurricane conditions starting there later Wednesday night. Forecasters say the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas will see worsening conditions Thursday morning with the expected arrival of hurricane winds Thursday evening.
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7:55 a.m.
An adviser to Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says there have been seven confirmed deaths in the Caribbean country from Hurricane Maria.
Hartley Henry didn’t give details about how the deaths occurred. They raise the overall death toll to nine from the storm including two on the French island of Guadeloupe.
Henry says the country is « in a daze » with no electricity or power and little to no communications.
He said in a statement Wednesday that there has been a « tremendous loss of housing and public buildings » in the mountainous island but the full extent of the damage isn’t known. The storm struck the country Monday and Tuesday and is now over Puerto Rico.
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7:55 a.m.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico as the third strongest storm to make landfall in the United States based on a key measurement meteorologists use: air pressure.
