All of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents are without electricity as of Wednesday afternoon, just hours after Hurricane Maria made landfall on the U.S. territory, according to the Puerto Rico Office of Emergency Management Agency.
The storm is currently decimating the island with its winds, and flood waters are pouring through the streets like raging rivers.
It’s the first time in 85 years that a hurricane of this level has hit the island, similar to the size of New York’s Long Island.
Storm surge is expected to hit up to nine feet in coastal regions of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico can expect between 12 to 35 inches of rain depending on where they live, according to an ABC report.
As of 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, the storm had been downgraded to a Category 3 storm with 155 mph winds reported. The National Hurricane Center said the hurricane’s winds will continue to lessen through the day, before it heads northwest toward other Caribbean islands.
Maria could gain strength while traveling over the warm tropical waters, but is not expected to turn west toward the U.S. mainland.
WATCH: Floodwaters rush through streets of Guyama, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria strikes the island (via Cruz Rodriguez Keila) pic.twitter.com/apJvSRibDV— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 20, 2017
