Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello on Monday declared a state of emergency in anticipation of a possible hurricane hitting later this week.
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the Caribbean mid-week, and the U.S. territory lies in one of its potential paths. It could hit the U.S. territory or Cuba, and could also hit several U.S. states after that.
Rossello said the government would stay open until Tuesday at noon, after which it would close down in anticipation of the storm.
Puerto Rico is currently under a hurricane watch.
Puerto Rico is already under the strain of a constant budget crisis and faltering economy, and is the subject of a U.S. commission that is aimed at making recommendations to put the island territory on a more sound fiscal path. It’s possible, however, that the U.S. will soon be diverting more funds to the island if Irma does damage there.
