There were large storm surges on the western end of the islands but on the whole we have been lucky.” MontserratĪs of Wednesday afternoon, electricity was out across the island and only essential vehicles were allowed on the roads, many of which were blocked by downed trees and power lines. There were very high gusts, but as far as I can determine, there was not a lot of more damage over the territory as a whole, and so far no major casualties have been reported, either. On Wednesday, the island’s premier, Orlando Smith, said: “Last night we were fortunate, thank God, that the effects of Hurricane Maria were not nearly as severe as Hurricane Irma. The White House has declared the US Virgin Islands a disaster zone and ordered assistance be sent there.Īt the BVI National Emergency Operations Center, the consensus was that the region had been lucky. The British and the US Virgin Islands were still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irma when Maria passed through. Local supermarkets are providing free meals to residents, and teams of local volunteers are assisting in clean-up efforts and helping preparations for Maria. The damage caused by Hurricane Irma is preventing relief agencies like Hirtac from accessing areas most affected by the storm, including South Caicos, where some areas are almost totally destroyed. There is lots of loose debris from Irma, which poses a huge risk,” said Sophie Newstead, press secretary for Hurricane Irma Relief Turks and Caicos ( HIRTAC), one of the relief charities working on the islands. We are not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm. “Right now, Turks and Caicos is in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. All travel to and from the islands has been suspended and lines of communication are expected to be lost within the next 12 hours. Residents were preparing for Maria to hit the islands on Thursday. To check on residents of Puerto Rico, you can reach Puerto Rico’s Federal Affairs Administration at 1-20 or Turks and Caicos The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico “a major disaster” zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory. Governor Ricardo Rossello said the only known death was a man struck by a piece of wood blown by the wind, but the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from outlying areas. As of Thursday afternoon, the electricity service was completely out, the water system was shut off to 70% of customers, and the telecommunications infrastructure was barely functioning.
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