Caribbean islands brace for another powerful storm

The effects of climate change are glaring at us in the form of powerful storms and hurricanes which have unleashed in different parts of the world. The most devastating hurricanes have hit parts of the United States and the Caribbean islands in a span of a few months causing major havoc in these areas.

After Irma, a second powerful storm within just two weeks is bearing down on a string of already devastated Caribbean islands and it has been expected that by the time it hits the Leeward Islands on Monday night, it will have attained the status of a hurricane.

The latest hurricane has been named Maria and till the last update it was about 445 kilometers east-southeast of Leeward Island of Dominica with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometres (75 miles) per hour at 4 PM (2000 GMT), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

“Maria… could be near major hurricane intensity when it affects portions of the Leeward Islands over the next few days, bringing dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards,” the forecaster said.

According to reports, the maximum sustained winds of the storm were expected to accelerate to 120 miles per hour within a 72 hour period. By that time, the storm will have reached the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Preparations for the upcoming hurricane have already begun in Puerto Rico, where it is expected to make landfall by Tuesday. The Puerto Rican government is already suffering from a weakened economy and a fragile power grid and the hurricane is expected to compound that problem.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Sep 18 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.