British Virgin Islands Under Curfew As New Storm Approaches

The British Virgin Islands was under curfew Tuesday as the Caribbean archipelago, still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma earlier this month, braced for another megastorm

LONDON, Sept 19, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Sep, 2017 ) - The British Virgin Islands was under curfew Tuesday as the Caribbean archipelago, still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma earlier this month, braced for another megastorm.

"While Hurricane Maria may not be as strong as Hurricane Irma, our present reality is also very different," Orlando Smith, the premier of the self-governing British territory, warned in a statement.

"Effects such as potential flooding and high winds that can turn debris into dangerous projectiles can have a greater and more treacherous impact for us. "Many residents are still displaced, homes are not fully secured and our natural protections have had severe damage due to the passage of Hurricane Irma.

"Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now." Maria hit Dominica on Tuesday as a Category Five hurricane, the highest on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale.

It was later downgraded to an "extremely dangerous" Category Four, although the US National Hurricane Center warned it could strengthen again.

With officials predicting it would hit the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday or Wednesday, authorities there imposed a curfew from 6:00pm (2200 GMT) on Monday and urged residents to stay indoors until it passed.

More than 100 high-risk prisoners escaped on the islands after a prison breach during Hurricane Irma, prompting London to send Royal Marines and police officers to help restore law and order. The prisoners have since all been recaptured. More than 1,300 British troops have been deployed to the region since Irma, and London has also sent food, shelter kits and buckets for clean water.