Roseau, Dominica (September 19, 2017): Hurricane Maria swept over the small island of Dominica with catastrophic Category 5 winds overnight, starting a charge into the eastern Caribbean that threatens islands already devastated by Hurricane Irma and holds the possibility of a direct hit on Puerto Rico.
Fierce winds and driving rain lashed mountainous Dominica for hours, causing flooding and tearing roofs from homes. A police official said that there were no immediate reports of casualties but it was still too dangerous for officers to do a full assessment as the storm raged outside.
Authorities in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm’s expected arrival there on Wednesday.
Maria had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) late yesterday. The eye was atop Dominica and about 270 miles (435 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was heading west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).
Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla.
To the north, Hurricane Jose stirred up dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, though forecasters said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by the storm 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.
Jose’s center was about 230 miles (370 kilometers) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving north at 8 mph (13 kph). The storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).
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