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Hurricane Maria Strengthens Into A "Potentially Catastrophic" Category 5 Storm As It Slams Irma-Battered Caribbean Islands
BuzzFeed News
Hurricane Maria has rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm as it bears down on several islands in the Caribbean still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Irma.
Maria continued to strengthen on Monday, and the eye of the storm was expected to move through the Leeward Islands near Dominica late Monday afternoon or evening.
"Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye," the National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane, which has maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, is then expected to move over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday and approach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday.
In preparation for more devastation, President Donald Trump on Monday approved an emergency declaration for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The action enables the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.