The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, said today that Hurricane Maria, who is expected to arrive on the island tomorrow, is “probably the most dangerous in modern history” of the Caribbean territory.
It is “an extreme danger” and will “impact on all Puerto Rico” with a “violence that we have not seen in several generations,” Rossello said at a press conference with representatives of his government and the State Agency for Emergency Management and Disaster Management (Aemead) of the island.
The governor also asked that those who live in flood areas, have wooden houses or roofs of zinc leave their homes.
“If Hurricane Irma of two weeks ago was not flooded now.” If we are not sure, our lives are in danger, the properties can be fixed, lives can not be replaced, “he said, while he pledged that a quick rebuild of the damage will be carried out.
The governor insisted that Maria is a “very violent event for Puerto Rico and we are practically at zero hour.”
After reporting that sustained winds could reach 265 kilometers per hour according to current forecasts, he said rain will continue until Saturday as a result of the hurricane.
“It is going to impact throughout Puerto Rico with a force and violence that we have not seen in several generations,” he reiterated.
For his part, meteorologist Ernesto Morales of the National Weather Service said that the hurricane will affect infrastructure in Puerto Rico and there may be rainfall accumulations of 45 centimeters.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Puerto Rico, Alejandro De la Campa, pledged to the governor to help with the reconstruction of the island, which he said, will be, “more resilient, stronger and with better structures”.
