At least 15 people have died and 20 remain missing on the small Caribbean island of Dominica, where Hurricane Maria first made landfall on Monday.<br /><br />he Associated Press reported Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit cried as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua. He said more than 15 people died due to the storm and that it was a miracle that the death toll was not greater.<br /><br />Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and the island’s airport has been shut down.<br /><br />In Puerto Rico, roads have turned into rivers, and forecasters say the ongoing heavy rains raise the risk of deadly mudslides.<br /><br />U.S. President Trump said Maria, packing winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, “totally obliterated” the island.<br /><br />It was the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in almost 90 years.<br /><br />However, the full extent of its damage remained unclear as it knocked out electricity across the entire island. Authorities said it might take months for power to be completely restored.<br /><br />The storm also hit the Dominican Republic on its way north to the Bahamas.<br /><br />More than 4,000 tourists were evacuated from the eastern tip of the island to the capital Santo Domingo. Officials said so far Maria didn’t damage the country’s vital tourism infrastructure.<br /><br />But more heavy rains are forecast for the coming days.<br />
