FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique (Reuters) — The French overseas territory of Martinique felt the impact on Tuesday (September 19) from the force of Hurricane Maria, although the island escaped largely unscathed.
Flooded streets and scattered debris could be seen in the capital Fort-en-France, with some local businesses showing signs of water damage after the storm’s violent winds and torrential rains.
Hurricane Maria caused major damage across the small island of Dominica before pushing on towards the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the second top-strength storm to lash the Caribbean this month.
A communications blackout with fellow French territory Guadeloupe meant it would be several more hours before damage there could be assessed, a senior French Civil Protection official said on Tuesday.
The region was hit just days ago by Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record. Irma devastated several small islands, including Barbuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. John, and caused heavy damage in Cuba and Florida, killing at least 84 people in the Caribbean and the U.S. mainland.
