US President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico late on Tuesday in view of the fast approaching tropical storm Dorian.
Dorian is approaching the Leeward Islands when NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed overhead Tuesday and snapped an image of the storm from its Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument showing it moving fast towards Peurto Rico.
NOAA's National Hurricane Center has forecast heavy rain, causing landslides, heavy flooding and power outages in the territory that is still recovering from Hurricane Maria two years ago. As of 8 am EDT Tuesday, NOAA's National Hurricane Center located the center of Dorian near latitude degrees 14.0 North and longitude 61.2 West, just 15 miles (25 km) west-northwest of St. Lucia.
On Wednesday, the storm is expected to take a turn toward the northwest with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. In the next 48 hours, Dorian is forecast to be near hurricane strength when it moves close to Puerto Rico. NHC said, "On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will move across the eastern and northeastern Caribbean Sea during the next few days, passing near or south of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, move near or over eastern Hispaniola Wednesday night, and move north of Hispaniola on Thursday."
NASA also reported that another newly formed Tropical Depression 6 in the Atlantic Ocean formed around 5 pm EDT Monday and has since been moving slowly off the coast of the Carolinas. Tropical cyclones are made of up hundreds of thunderstorms.
Puerto Rican administration said power across the territory will remain in tact. In a tweet, David Begnaud stated:"Power across Puerto Rico will not be cut off before #TropicalStormDorian according to @AEEONLINE CEO Jose Ortiz. He says the main transmission lines are more resilient and he predicts the system will withstand Dorian."
Emergency declaration by the President automatically enables the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate relief efforts, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
"Practically the entire island will be under sustained tropical storm force winds," said Roberto García, director of National Weather Service San Juan.
