Storm pummels US territory of St Croix, heading for direct hit on Puerto Rico, and leaving island of Dominica devastatedWhere is Hurricane Maria heading? Mapping the path of destructionPuerto Rico forecast to take `potentially catastrophic´ direct hitIf you´ve been affected by the storm you can share your story here 8.05am BST This is Matthew Weaver picking up our live coverage as Hurricane Maria is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico in the coming hours. Levi Peter, the attorney general of Dominica, says a `few deaths` have been reported on Dominica since it was directly hit by Maria on Monday night and Tuesday morning, but it is impossible to verify because communications are still down.`Unfortunately the picture is very uncertain ... I have not been able to make contact with Dominica since about 7am UK time [Tuesday] when I was last in communication with members of the cabinet and the prime minister and other friends. And almost nobody that I´m in contact with here, and in other parts of the world, has had any contact. Just before coming here I had some dribs and drabs from ham [radio] operators indicating that there has been some, a few, deaths so far reported. One suspects the number will increase as time goes by. `Certainly the damage and destruction is extensive. CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, carried out surveillance yesterday by aircraft and there is footage indicating widespread destruction and damage. 7.52am BST You lose your life the moment you start thinking about how to save a few bucks to stop something from crashing or burning or falling apart. The only thing that matters is the safety of your family, and your children, and yourself. The rest of the stuff, forget it. Related: Puerto Rico forecast to take `potentially catastrophic` direct hit from Hurricane Maria Continue reading...
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