Evacuate or die — Puerto Ricans told to flee as Hurricane Maria draws closer

After battering the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Ricans have been warned to evacuate or risk their lives as Hurricane Maria heads towards the US territory, bringing "catastrophic" life-threatening winds, dangerous storm surges and rainfalls.

The "monster" storm is forecast to hit the islands, with a population of 3.5 million people, Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm, after being downgraded from a Category 5 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday advised that Maria is heading toward the southeastern part of Puerto Rico at 10 miles per hour, packing sustained winds of as much as 155 miles per hour.

You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you’re going to die, Hector Pesquera, Puerto Rico’s public safety commissioner said.

I don’t know how to make this any clearer.

Track path of Hurricane Maria

The storm with a second maximum-strength hit the Caribbean this month killing at least one person in Guadeloupe and devastated the tiny island nation of Dominica, where 90 per cent of buildings are reportedly destroyed.

It is expected to wreck more havoc than Hurricane Irma that destroyed large parts of the Caribbean just two weeks ago. 

Maria began lashing the US Virgin Island of St Croix early on Wednesday, as it continued to cut a deadly north-westerly path through the Atlantic.