Hurricane Maria passes through Dominica and Guadeloupe with winds exceeding 250 km/h.
After Irma, now it is Hurricane Maria that threatens the Caribbean. It devastated the island of Dominica in the last few hours and left only two injured in Martinique; the hurricane has now just passed through the French territory of Guadeloupe, according to authorities, with winds of more than 250 km/h this Tuesday (19); the hurricane was classified as category 5, the most powerful, equivalent to Irma, which devastated the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.
Radio France International - After Irma, now it is Hurricane Maria that threatens the Caribbean. It devastated the island of Dominica in the last few hours and left only two injured in Martinique. The hurricane has now just passed through the French territory of Guadeloupe, according to authorities, with winds of more than 250 km/h this Tuesday (19).
The hurricane was classified as a Category 5, the most powerful, equivalent to Irma, which devastated the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy. Around midday, Maria was about 70 km south of Guadeloupe, declared the director-general of local Civil Security, Jacques Witkowski. Winds exceeded 250 km/h and communication with the island is complicated. The hurricane's trajectory "is versatile and uncertain," he said.
According to Witkowski, mass evacuations were not necessary. He explained that Guadeloupe has a hospital center to treat potential victims and temporary shelter facilities. Before Guadeloupe, Maria passed 50 km from Martinique, leaving two people slightly injured. Approximately 33.000 homes were left without electricity, but no major damage was reported. The hurricane also hit the Saintes archipelago, two small volcanic islands.
Potentially catastrophic
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced on Monday that Maria was a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane. With winds of up to 257 km per hour, it made landfall in Dominica at 22:15 pm on Monday (18). "The island has lost everything that could be lost," the prime minister of the former British colony of 72 inhabitants posted on his Facebook account.
"According to its projected trajectory, the Eye of Mary will move northeast across the Caribbean Sea, approaching the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and on Wednesday," the NHC indicated.
The new hurricane is expected to pass south of the coasts of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, both devastated by Hurricane Irma on September 6, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defense. The death toll in Saint Martin has risen to 15 people. Hurricane Irma left nearly 40 dead in the Caribbean before hitting the US state of Florida, where at least 50 people died.
Reinforcements
The governments of France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, criticized for not sending more resources before and after Hurricane Irma, which devastated their overseas territories, have announced reinforcements. Paris announced on Sunday the deployment of 110 troops to Guadeloupe and noted that "almost 3.000" reinforcements are already on the island.
But French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb admitted there would be "significant difficulties" if the hurricane hits Guadeloupe hard, since the island is "the logistical hub" that allows Saint Martin to be supplied and air travel and supplies to be organized.