Hurricane Maria Latest News: Category 3 Storm Proceeds to Turks and Caicos; Puerto Rico Governor Issues Curfew
Hurricane Maria, now strengthened to a Category 3 storm, is heading towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico is under a strict curfew due to Hurricane Maria.
CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri predicts that Hurricane Maria will increase in intensity when it reaches the Turks and Caicos islands, which are in danger of high storm surges.
Javaheri added that Hurricane Maria will cause less damage to the chain of islands if it continues towards the direction of 40 to 50 miles east of their outskirts.
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Meanwhile, Hurricane Maria recently hit the Dominican Republic with heavy rains along with 115-mph winds.
The Dominican Republic prepared for great flooding, especially after what happened to Puerto Rico. The country has not yet fully recovered from Hurricane Irma, and the strong rainfalls from Hurricane Maria could cause them more damage through high flooding.
Airports have also been shut down in the Dominican Republic since Thursday to avoid any misfortune with the arrival of Hurricane Maria.
Meanwhile, the governor of Puerto Rico — Ricardo Rossello — enforced a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. from Wednesday until this coming Saturday to keep their people safe, the New York Post reports.
Several of Puerto Rico's residents are still looking for safe houses to find shelter in. However, Rossello does not advise staying out long to search for shelters because their roads are "practically undrivable."
"The damage is very extensive. It is nothing short of a major disaster," said Rossello.
Hurricane Maria recently hit Puerto Rico as a Category 2 storm after collapsing with high mountains in the United States territory.
A spokeswoman for the Puerto Rico State Agency for Emergency and Disaster Management said that the strong hurricane damaged Puerto Rico's power line and left the island without electricity. It could take officials months to restore the island's energy infrastructure.
