Puerto Rico Stores Boarded Up in Preparation for Tropical Storm Dorian

A bakery in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, boarded its doors and windows on August 27 as the area prepared for the arrival of Tropical Storm Dorian.

Cabo Rojo and the surrounding area were expected to be hit the hardest by the storm, according to local reports.

The National Weather Service warned to “expect heavy showers, wind, and lightning” across Puerto Rico, and anticipated up to 8 inches of rain in the southern half of the island from Wednesday into Thursday.

Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on Tuesday, as Tropical Storm Dorian approached the US Caribbean territory.

Dorian brought flooding to the French West Indies island of Martinique on Tuesday, and was tracking toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic early on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said heavy rainfall in both places could produce flash flooding. Hurricane conditions were a possibility for Puerto Rico, the center said, and heavy rain was also expected in Florida and the Bahamas later in the week.

Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, but Dorian was not forecast to match the intensity of that storm. Credit: Jonuel Morales via Storyful