Caribbean Islands Brace For Impact After Hurricane Maria Causes 'Widespread Devastation' In Dominica

Hurricane Maria charged towards Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as an extremely dangerous category 5 storm early Tuesday after slamming into the island of Dominica overnight.

The hurricane made landfall on Dominica around 9:15 p.m. local time , with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. The storms eye passed over the island of 73,000 people about 11 p.m. before moving on about 12:20 a.m.

Dominicas Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told a Latin American television station that the island had been brutally hit .

Initial reports are of widespread devastation, he said in a Facebook post, describing the damage as mind boggling.

So, far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with, he added.

#Maria made landfall on Dominica at 915 pm AST as a category 5 #hurricane with 160 mph (260 km/h) winds https://t.co/QSxq7VPr15? pic.twitter.com/3Z1Q95WYlM

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#Maria made landfall on Dominica at 915 pm AST as a category 5 #hurricane with 160 mph (260 km/h) winds https://t.co/QSxq7VPr15 ? pic.twitter.com/3Z1Q95WYlM
NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) September 19, 2017

Skerrit posted to his Facebook page through the worst of the storm, describing the winds as merciless.

About 9:20 p.m. local time, Skerrit wrote: My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding. Soon after, he reported that he had been rescued .

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma began carving a path of destruction across the Caribbean, several islands in the region are bracing for Maria to take its toll in the next two days as it gains strength.

Maria is expected to approach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday. As many as 25 inches of rain are possible across the region, and storm surge could reach as high as 9 feet.

It will essentially devastate most of the island, Puerto Ricos governor, Ricardo Rossell, told USA Today.