Hurricane Dorian packing 80 mph winds hits U.S. Virgin Islands, strafes Puerto Rico

Aug. 29--Just two years since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the island endured the threat of Hurricane Dorian, before it slammed into the the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the center of Dorian was 45 miles northwest of St. Thomas moving northwest at 14 mph. Originally it had targeted to slam into St. Croix , but jogged to the east when it was still categorized as a tropical storm. The Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands all remain under a hurricane warning.

Hurricane-force winds extend out 15 miles with tropical storm force winds out to 80 miles.

The storm is expected to grow in strength to become as large as a Category 3 strength hurricane before threatening landfall on Florida by Monday.

While the path isn't bringing the storm right over Puerto Rico's mainland, the island territory will still be tested since Hurricane Maria struck on Sept. 20, 2017. Maria left most of Puerto Rico without power and was initially blamed for 64 deaths, but that number, including fatalities from the months of post-hurricane recovery, was estimated to be more than 4,600, based on data in a Harvard University study released in 2018.

"Dorian brings uncertainty, and, for those of us who experienced the storms of 2017, uncomfortable memories," said British Virgin Islands Gov. Augustus Jaspert. "Take heart."

Dorian prompted President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency Tuesday night and order federal assistance for local authorities.

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning was in effect for Puerto Rico, with Dorian expected to dump 4 to 6 inches of rain with isolated amounts of 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the eastern part of the island.

However, Puerto Rico seemed to be spared any heavy wind and rain, a huge relief to many on an island where blue tarps still cover some 30,000 homes nearly two years after Hurricane Maria. The island's 3.2 million inhabitants also depend on an unstable power grid that remains prone to outages since it was destroyed by Maria, a Category 4 storm.

Ramonita Torres, a thin, stooped, 74-year-old woman lives by herself in the impoverished, flood-prone neighborhood of Las Monjas in the capital of San Juan. She was still trying to rebuild the home she nearly lost after Maria but was not able to secure the pieces of zinc that now serve as her roof.

"There's no money for that," she said, shaking her head.

A reported 990 customers were without power across Puerto Rico by late Wednesday afternoon, according to Ángel Figueroa, president of a union that represents power workers.

Police said an 80-year-old man in the northern town of Bayamón died on Wednesday after he fell trying to climb up to his roof to clear it of debris ahead of the storm.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is still struggling to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, officials were reporting power outages as driving rains and heavy wind hit.

"Winds have picked up significantly. We're starting to get some of those heavier gusts," the governor's spokesman, Richard Motta, said in a telephone interview.

Dorian earlier had been projected to brush the western part of Puerto Rico and the change in the storm's course caught many off guard in the tiny island of Vieques just east of Puerto Rico, a popular tourist destination that now lies in Dorian's path.

"I'm in shock," Vilma Santana said.

Earlier, Trump sent a tweet assuring islanders that "FEMA and all others are ready, and will do a great job."

He added a jab at Puerto Rican officials who have accused the government of a slow and inadequate response to Hurricane Maria: "When they do, let them know it, and give them a big Thank You -- Not like last time. That includes from the incompetent Mayor of San Juan!"

The mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, tweeted that Trump needs to "calm down get out of the way and make way for those of us who are actually doing the work on the ground," adding that maybe he "will understand this time around THIS IS NOT ABOUT HIM; THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS; THIS IS ABOUT SAVING LIVES."

Dorian earlier caused power outages and downed trees in Barbados and St. Lucia.

Although top government officials in Puerto Rico said they were prepared for the storm and had sufficient equipment, a couple of mayors, including those in the western region, said they did not have enough generators or shelters that were properly set up.

The island's transportation secretary acknowledged that crews are still rebuilding roads damaged or blocked by Maria, including more than 1,000 that remain blocked by that storm's landslides.

Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez said public schools and government offices would remain closed through at least Thursday.

"We learned our lesson quite well after Maria," Vázquez said. "We are going to be much better prepared."

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. closed schools and government offices and said he would implement a curfew until Thursday, adding that officials have opened shelters and prepared sandbags in all three islands.

"The main threat in this storm is the water," he said in a conference call early Wednesday. "We still have a lot of vulnerable people in the territory."

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Associated Press writers Dánica Coto and Adriana Gómez Licón in Miami contributed to this report.

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