Puerto Rico braces for likely hurricane as Dorian gathers strength


Late Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in preparation for a Category 1 hurricane hitting the island territory on Wednesday. The declaration activates Puerto Rico's National Guard. Tropical Storm Dorian was moving over the Windward Islands Tuesday morning, and the National Hurricane Center said "some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Dorian is expected to be a hurricane when it moves near Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola." It put Puerto Rico on hurricane watch.
Puerto Rico is still recovering from 2017's Hurricane Maria, and some 30,000 homes still have blue tarps as roofs. "People in PR have PTSD," a woman in Puerto Rico told CBS News' David Begnaud when she sent him a video of people lining up to buy supplies over the weekend.
There are also tropical storms warnings for St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados, where Prime Minister Mia Mottley ordered the closure of schools and government offices across the island. "When you're dead, you're dead," she said late Sunday in a televised address. "Stay inside and get some rest."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Crossword: October 19, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversal
Speed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining US
Speed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake
speed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Speed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch