The Latest: Feds restore air traffic for Puerto Rico

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Maria (all times local):

1:25 p.m.

It's getting easier to leave Puerto Rico, where more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens still lack adequate food, water and fuel five days after Maria pounded the island as a Category 4 hurricane.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan is handling nearly 100 arrivals and departures daily, including military and relief operations as well as more than a dozen commercial passenger flights per day.

The agency is taking reservations for arrival and departure slots to manage space at the airport and safely separate aircraft in the air.

Maria destroyed or disabled a number of essential radar, navigation and communication systems, so the FAA has been bringing in replacements by air and sea, and technicians are working now to get them working.

The FAA says a long-range radar in the Turks and Caicos returned to service on Monday, giving air traffic controllers a much better picture of planes and helicopters in the region. Meanwhile, technicians are using chain saws to cut a path through a rain forest to reach a mountaintop where a second long-range radar site remains offline.

12:45 p.m.

The Federal Highway Administration is helping Puerto Rico with damage assessments so that emergency relief money can help restore roads throughout the island.

The TS Kennedy, a former commercial freighter used by the Maritime Administration for training, is currently sailing from Texas to the Virgin Islands to support hurricane recovery efforts in the U.S. Virgin Island and Puerto Rico.

The Federal Transit Administration is working with FEMA on improving ferry service between Puerto Rico islands. As of Monday, limited ferry service was available during daylight hours to transport emergency supplies to Vieques and Culebra.

11:55 a.m.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello says he's spoken "as recently as last night" to President Donald Trump about the crisis Hurricane Maria caused on the island. He says he's "confident the president understands the magnitude of the situation."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday at a Puma gas facility in San Juan, Rossello said "the president has offered a waiver on matching funds" for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which means the cash-strapped island won't have to contribute to the initial costs of this federal help.

Rossello said he'd be speaking with Trump later today to discuss "a long-term recovery package for Puerto Rico to be presented to Congress," apparently next week.

He also said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has offered to send a National Guard unit to aid in security

9:45 a.m.

Officials in North Carolina estimate more than 10,000 people have left the Outer Banks as Hurricane Maria moves closer.

Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said Tuesday morning that it's impossible to get exact figures on how many people evacuated Hatteras Island after they were ordered to do so. But Pearson said officials think between 10,000 and 12,500 people have left the island ahead of the storm. Hatteras has a year-round population of about 500 people, who are not required to leave.

Pearson said the worst conditions were expected Wednesday into Thursday morning.

Hyde County officials said Monday they thought about 700 visitors would leave because of the evacuation ordered for Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke has a population of about 1,000 residents.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from Morehead City to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

7:30 a.m.

North Carolina's Outer Banks are bracing for the effects of Hurricane Maria, even though the storm is expected to pass the state at least 150 miles (240 kilometers) offshore.

Schools were closed Tuesday in all of Dare County because of expected tropical storm conditions. Dare County includes much of the Outer Banks, as well as some inland areas along Pamlico Sound.

The National Weather Service in Morehead City, North Carolina, said significant beach erosion is expected north of Cape Lookout. Storm surge of between 2 feet (0.6 meters) and four feet (1 meter) is expected, mostly north of Cape Hatteras.

Officials ordered visitors to leave both Ocracoke and Hatteras islands ahead of the storm.

They warned dangerous rip currents were possible in the ocean for the rest of the week.

6 a.m.

Hurricane Maria has weakened slightly as it moves northward in the Atlantic off the coast of the Carolinas.

Maria's maximum sustained winds Tuesday morning are near 75 mph (120 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Maria is expected to keep gradually weakening and is forecast to become a tropical storm Tuesday night or Wednesday.

The storm is centered about 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).

A tropical storm warning is in effect for a swath of the North Carolina coast from Bogue Inlet to the Virginia border.