"I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating ... indeed, mind boggling. "The winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with," Skerrit said. "Puerto Rico narrowly avoided a direct hit two weeks ago from Hurricane Irma, which reached a rare Category 5 status and ranked as the most powerful Atlantic storm on record before devastating several smaller islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. John.U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp said Maria was due to pass within 10 miles of the island of St. Croix, which escaped the brunt of Irma's clout on Sept. 6. Those numbers are all above average for a typical season, which is only about half over for 2017.

Source: Economic Times September 19, 2017 06:33 UTC