Puerto Rico on Thursday began
assessing the full brunt of Hurricane Maria's fury, which has left the island
without power, water, cell and wireless services, and working sewage systems.
Power could be out for up to six
months in some areas, according to Carmen Yulin Cruz, mayor of San Juan.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello ordered an
island-wide curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Saturday.
The entire island is under a
flash-flood warning as rivers have overflowed their banks from the deluge of
more than two feet of rain since Wednesday.
The airports in San Juan, Ponce
and Aguadilla are closed, according to the Weather Channel.
In San Juan, firefighters began
clearing debris off some of the roads so that emergency vehicles can get
through to begin rescue operations where needed.
The U.S. Coast Guard search and
rescue crews are slated to arrive on Friday. The crews and their ships and
equipment were forced to leave Puerto Rico before the storm hit.
"We are going to find our
island destroyed," said Abner Gomez, the director of the island's
emergency management agency.
He told El Nuevo Dia newspaper, "Maria
is a system that has destroyed everything in its path."
The island of Vieques, eight
miles east of Puerto Rico, was lashed with 155 mph winds before Maria moved on
to the mainland. Nearby sister island Culebra also took a beating from the
wind, high surf and rain.