Hurricane Irene Leaves Destruction In Puerto Rico
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Hurricane Irene cut a path across Puerto Rico downing trees and power lines while dropping heavy rains before pushing out over the warm waters of the Caribbean Monday morning.
Pureto Rican crews were trying to clear the streets and assess the damage, but Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuno and other government officials were not giving any indication when power would be restored across the island.
Governor Fortuno has declared a state of emergency on the island, but there were no reports of deaths or major injuries as Irene passed. Schools, almost all government offices, and many businesses remained closed.
Authorities evacuated 150 tourists from the islands of Culebra and Vieques as the storm neared the island. Dozens of other people went to emergency shelters in San Juan ahead of Irene.
Flights are expected to resume at San Juan's international airport as early as noon Monday.
The Virgin Islands also faced power outages after the high winds came through.
In the Dominican Republic, residents and tourists spent much of the day preparing for Irene.
CBS4 viewer Erica Guzman is on vacation in Punta Cana. She sent us video of darkening skies and windblown trees. She described the area as a ghost town and said guests in the hotel stayed sheltered in their rooms or gathered in the lobby.
Dozens of people were evacuated from high risk areas along the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.
Hurricane Irene now looks like it will take direct aim at the Bahamas and possibly South Florida by the end of the week. Click here for more on where Irene is headed.
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