The US territory of Puerto Rico has declared a state of emergency as it braces for a tropical storm churning through the Caribbean.
*96+320The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Forecasters expect Tropical Storm Dorian to develop into a hurricane in the next 24 hours.
President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration.
The move authorises US federal agencies to provide assistance and co-ordinate disaster relief.
By Tuesday evening, the storm was 440km (270 miles) south-east of Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 50mph (85km/h), according to the NHC.
In Puerto Rico, a territory still recovering from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017, there are fears of power cuts and damage from strong winds.
Up to 15cm (6in) of rain could fall in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where swells along coastlines could cause “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions”, forecasters have said.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, who declared the state of emergency for the US territory on Monday, has called on its more than three million citizens to prepare.
“I urge citizens to activate their emergency plan with caution and peace of mind,” Ms Vázquez said on Twitter.
About 360 shelters would be open across the island, the governor said.
“Wow! Yet another big storm heading to Puerto Rico,” President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday. “Will it ever end?”
The storm is expected to pass south-west of Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane, on Wednesday night.
“Slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Dorian is forecast to be near hurricane strength when it moves close to Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola,” the NHC said.
On Thursday, Dorian is forecast to make landfall in the Dominican Republic, before moving past the Turks and Caicos and south-eastern Bahamas on Friday.
According to the NHC’s latest projections, the storm could make landfall in the US state of Florida late on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
`1234567890-ropical storm warnings have been lifted for St Vincent and the Grenadines.
