Hurricane Maria was upgraded to a category 5 monster storm as it barrels toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The tiny island of Dominica — where rapper Travis Scott was born, was devastated by Maria’s high winds and rain on Monday.
Maria tore through Dominica with sustained winds of 160 mph and heavy rain. The storm is now making a beeline toward the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Dominica’s prime minister was rescued after high winds tore the roof off his house on Monday.
“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wrote in a Facebook post early Tuesday. He described widespread devastation on the island of 74,000 people.
“So far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with,” Mr. Skerrit wrote.
Now Puerto Rico is preparing for the worst after surviving Hurricane Irma 2 weeks ago.
“This is a moment of extreme danger for Puerto Rico,” said Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in a press conference early Tuesday. “If we don’t take precautions, there will be a significant loss of life.”
He added: “Zinc houses, wooden houses won’t survive winds of 160 miles an hour. Get out, get out of there.”
