Hurricane Maria has slammed into Puerto Rico, pounding the Caribbean island with near 250 kilometre winds.<br /><br />The dangerously powerful storm, the strongest to hit the US territory in almost 90 years, measured just shy of a devastating Category 5 when it made landfall early on Wednesday.<br /><br />Puerto Rico is the latest target for Maria as the hurricane continues to wheel west, having already ploughed into Guadeloupe, Dominica and the US Virgin islands.<br /><br />Along with powerful sea surges record flooding is predicted with the storm expected to dump nearly 70cms of rain in parts.<br /><br />Buildings trembled as the storm battered Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan and sent<br />torn off pieces of metal barricades clattering along streets.<br /><br />Thousands of Puerto Ricans sought shelter with forecasts predicting a “potentially catastrophic” direct hit.<br /><br />Maria is the second major storm to hit the Caribbean this month following Irma, one of the most powerful hurricane’s ever recorded in the Atlantic.<br />
