MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello has declared a state of emergency ahead of powerful Hurricane Irma — now a dangerous Category 4 storm — that is likely to hit the region later this week.
3 September 2017, 21:38 GMT
Earlier in the day, the Nation Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an advisory, warning that Irma might directly affect the US Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, as well Puerto Rico later this week, and urging the residents in these areas to monitor the situation.
"[I am] signing the executive order which also activates the national guard and declares the state of emergency in Puerto Rico," Rossello wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, hurricane Irma strengthened into a category 3 storm as it moved over the eastern Atlantic toward the eastern Caribbean islands, according to the NHC.
