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Hurricane builds off Puerto Rico | |
(about 16 hours later) | |
Puerto Rico and small islands of the north-eastern Caribbean are on alert as the latest Atlantic hurricane roars in at category-three strength. | |
Rains from Hurricane Omar, which is packing maximum winds of 115mph (185km/h), have reached the Virgin island of St Croix and two Puerto Rican islands. | |
One man reportedly died of a heart attack on the island of Culebra. | |
The 2008 hurricane season has been active, including devastating storms that led to some 800 deaths in Haiti. | The 2008 hurricane season has been active, including devastating storms that led to some 800 deaths in Haiti. |
At 0300 GMT the centre of Omar was about 30 miles (45km) south-east of St Croix, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said. | |
Boats sink | |
Heavy rains and winds battered the island, sinking boats in the harbour, felling trees and forcing workers to shut down a major oil refinery, The Associated Press reports. | |
Omar is the 15th named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season | |
At the Caravelle Hotel, maintenance worker Mike Parish was working by the light from generators in a vain effort to keep rain water from blowing in beneath the door after the authorities cut electricity across the island as a precaution. | |
"We're doing all we can," he said. "The water is too much for us." | |
US Virgin Islands Governor John deJongh on Wednesday closed all public schools, sent home government employees and imposed an 1800 curfew across the islands. | |
"Take this very seriously," he said. "Folks are out right now doing their last minute shopping, and that's understandable. Once that's done, we encourage them to go home." | |
On Puerto Rico's island of Culebra, a man collapsed as he tried to install storm shutters on his house, AP says. | |
On Vieques, the storm flooded roads and downed tree branches. | |
Schools, government offices and most businesses have shut down in Puerto Rico and residents have been buying up drinking water, canned goods and other supplies. | |
"I'm not too worried, but I went out and bought water, candles and gas," San Juan resident Kevin Mead, 35, told Reuters news agency. | |
Earlier, Omar dumped rain on northern Venezuela and nearby islands. |