As residents of Puerto Rico brace for Hurricane Maria — which slammed into the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm Monday night — Puerto Rico’s governor is calling the storm “the biggest and potentially most catastrophic hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in a century.” Maria, which has left at least two dead in the Caribbean, is forecast to “remain an extremely dangerous Category 4 or 5 hurricane” as it approaches Puerto Rico early Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Maria could bring life-threatening flooding and mudslides, as well as a 6- to 9-foot storm surge, to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Dangerous flash flooding and mudslides are also possible, especially in mountainous regions in Puerto Rico. As of 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Maria’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 160 mph, but it remained a Category 5 storm. Maria’s maximum sustained winds had been as high as 175 mph during the day Tuesday. READ MORE
