by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Wed September 20, 2017
The Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour.
UPDATE: 2:45 p.m. ET 9/20/2017
Hurricane Maria is making life tough for everyone in Puerto Rico, as the Office of Emergency Management Agency is reporting that 100 percent of the U.S. territory has lost electrical power.
According to ABCNews.com, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said the storm has caused severe damage to infrastructure, with windows being shattered, rivers overflowing and trees being upturned. The only people with electricity are using generators.
As for the areas already impacted by Maria, the Caribbean Tourism Organization has issued updates for Dominica, Martinique and St. Kitts. In Dominica, many areas of the island are reporting total destruction and locals are in desperate need of roofing materials for shelters, bedding supplies for those stranded and food and water drops for residents of outlying districts inaccessible at the moment.
As for Martinique, the island was largely spared by the storm and has already started to send supplies and support to surrounding areas impacted by Maria. Word from St. Kitts is that emergency teams are still trying to determine the extent of the damage, but Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport has reopened and is receiving aid.
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According to NBCNews.com, the National Hurricane Center revealed that Hurricane Maria was becoming "an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation" in the Caribbean, with storm surges of 6-to-9 feet in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Maria is the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico since 1928, and forecasters are calling for as much as 25 inches of rain in isolated areas, with an average of 12-to-18 inches.
Following the storm's impact on Puerto Rico, Maria will approach the Dominican Republic Wednesday evening and pass north of Punta Cana around midnight. The storm is then expected to travel east of Florida and the Carolinas.
Maria has left several Caribbean islands in shambles, including Dominica, Guadeloupe and the Virgin Islands. As a result, United States President Donald Trump has declared states of emergency in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Coast Guard has also moved all its ships, aircraft and personnel out of harm's way in order to prepare for rescue missions.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Hurricane Maria Strengthens As She Heads Towards The Caribbean[/READMORE]
Three of the largest airlines in the world, American, Delta and United, have announced airfares on flights departing from cities likely impacted by the storm would be capped to avoid price gouging. Change fees for flights to and from impacted areas have also been waived.
Additionally, airlines added flights departing from Puerto Rico Tuesday to help people get out of the path of the Maria, according to the Chicago Tribune.
As a result of the hurricane's impact on the Caribbean, cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have announced changes to several sailings this week. For Carnival, itineraries for its Glory, Fascination and Magic ships have been changed. As for Royal Caribbean, Adventure of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have been rerouted due to Maria.
More Hurricane Maria Coverage
More Cruise Line Changes
TravelPulse's Janeen Christoff took an in-depth look at how cruise lines serving the Caribbean were preparing for the incoming Hurricane Maria.
Hurricane Maria's Projected Path
TravelPulse Canada has an article looking at the projected path of the storm and the islands which could potentially be in the most trouble.
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