Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the “most devastating storm to hit the island this century, if not in modern history,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello told CNN.
According to Weather.com, Puerto Rican emergency officials are reporting that 100 percent of the island is without power after Hurricane Maria. According to the CNN report, Ricardo Ramos, the CEO of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said Puerto Ricans may not get power back for four to six months.
"The system has been basically destroyed," Ramos told CNN.
Maria destroyed 80 percent of the homes in the Juana Matos neighborhood of the San Juan suburb of Catano, according to Weather.com.
According to The Telegraph, Carlos Mercader, spokesman for Puerto Rico's governor, said, “This is total devastation. Puerto Rico, in terms of the infrastructure, will not be the same. This is something of historic proportions."
On Thursday, President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for the territory that is home to 3.4 million people, making federal funding available to Puerto Ricans affected by the storm.
Hurricane Maria is passing near the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos today after devastating Puerto Rico yesterday.
The storm has weakened to a category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph, and is set to pass offshore of the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic today, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Maria will then move near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas tonight and Friday.
A tropical storm watch has been newly issued for the central Bahamas. Additionally, a hurricane warning remains in effect for the Dominican Republic in an area ranging from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata; the Turks and Caicos; and the southeastern Bahamas. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border with Haiti, as well as west of Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Dominican Republic in an area ranging from Isla Saona to Cabo Engano.
For the latest flight updates, click here and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for more Hurricane Maria updates. Be sure to follow Travel Agent’s Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike and Instagram @pike5260
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