Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a category 1 system at the Virgin Islands, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico is still in the process of recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017, and it's set to feel the storm's effects, though it won't be a direct hit. Strong winds and rain could nonetheless devastate the island's already fragile infrastructure and threaten citizens' livelihoods. President Trump has already approved an emergency declaration to enable federal assistance, while Puerto Rico's governor has declared a state of emergency in order to activate the National Guard.
I just signed a public health emergency declaration for Puerto Rico as Hurricane #Dorian makes landfall, helping ensure our fellow citizens in the territory who rely on #Medicare and #Medicaid have continuous access to the care they need. #HurricaneDorian https://t.co/IDZVGVp0ks pic.twitter.com/Fp7hNWEUWt
— Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) August 28, 2019
Here are the 5 PM AST/EDT August 28 Key Messages for Hurricane #Dorian. For more information see: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/uu34UdDYoW
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 28, 2019
What's next: By Monday, Dorian could be reaching the east coast of Florida as a category 3 hurricane.
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