Puerto Rico and Dominica are struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria as the eye of the storm nears the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Two days after Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, flooding towns, crushing homes and killing at least six people, millions on the island face the prospect of weeks and perhaps months without electricity.
The storm knocked out the entire grid across the US territory of 3.4 million people, leaving many without power.
Maria’s death toll across the Caribbean has climbed to at least 23, many of them on the hard-hit island of Dominica.
Joel Santos, president of the country’s hotel association, said the hurricane did not damage the tourism infrastructure, even though it passed close to Punta Cana, the major resort area on the eastern tip of the island.
But prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit wept as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua, saying: “It is a miracle there were not hundreds of deaths. Dominica is going to need all the help the world has to offer.”
(PA graphic)
He said more than 15 people are dead and 20 remain missing after Maria’s direct hit.
In Puerto Rico, the government said at least six were killed but media on the island were reporting additional deaths and the actual toll appears unlikely to be known for days.
The US National Hurricane Centre said the eye of the storm is near the Turks and Caicos islands while rains and dangerous high waves are starting to subside along the northern coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
.@USAID #HurricaneIrma #HurricaneMaria disaster team members now in #Dominica. They conducted aerial assessments + report widespread damage pic.twitter.com/RGnVUal3pw
— USAID/OFDA (@theOFDA) September 21, 2017
The storm is east-north-east of Grand Turk Island moving north-west at 7mph.
The Category 3 hurricane has maximum sustained winds near 125mph but gradual weakening is expected during the next two days.
In Puerto Rico, the power grid was in sorry shape long before Maria — and Hurricane Irma two weeks ago — struck.
People queue for bread at the Ortiz bakery in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico (Carlos Giusti/AP)
The territory’s 73 billion dollar (£53 billion) debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. It has abandoned most basic maintenance in recent years, leaving the island subject to regular blackouts.
“We knew this was going to happen given the vulnerable infrastructure,” governor Ricardo Rossello said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would open an air bridge from the mainland on Friday, with three to four military planes flying to the island every day carrying water, food, generators and temporary shelters.
The #DoD is working to support @fema and authorities in #PuertoRico and #USVI to provide vital support to those affected by #HurricaneMaria. pic.twitter.com/ZVo7zsAL8u
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) September 22, 2017
“There’s a humanitarian emergency here in Puerto Rico,” Mr Rossello said. “This is an event without precedent.”
He said his administration was trying to open ports soon to receive shipments of food, water, generators, camp beds and other supplies.
The government has hired 56 small contractors to clear trees and put up new power lines and poles and will be sending tanker trucks to supply neighbourhoods as they run out of water.
The entire island has been declared a federal disaster zone.
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