SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: A failing dam prompted emergency evacuations of two towns in northwest Puerto Rico on Friday as the U.S. territory struggled with flooding, an island-wide power blackout and other dangers in Hurricane Maria's wake.
The National Weather Service in San Juan said Friday that the northwestern municipalities of Isabela and Quebradillas, home to some 70,000 people, were being evacuated with buses because the nearby Guajataca Dam was failing. Details remained sketchy about the evacuation with communications hampered after the storm. The 345-yard (316-meter) dam holds back a manmade lake covering about 2 square miles and was built decades ago, U.S. government records show.
All across the battered island, residents feared power could be out for weeks - or even months - and wondered how they would cope. Some of the island's 3.4 million residents planned to head to the U.S. to temporarily escape the desolation. At least in the short term, though, the soggy misery will continue: additional rain - up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) - is expected through Saturday.
In San juan, Neida Febus wandered around her neighborhood with bowls of cooked rice, ground meat and avocado, offering food to anyone in need. The damage was so extensive, the 64-year-old retiree said, that she didn't think the power would be turned back on until Christmas.
The death toll in Puerto Rico stood at six but was likely to rise. At least 27 lives have been lost around the Caribbean, including at least 15 people killed on hard-hit Dominica. Other islands reporting deaths were Haiti with three; Guadeloupe, two; and Dominican Republic, one.
By Friday afternoon, Maria was passing northeast of the Turks and Caicos with winds of 125 mph (205 kph). A hurricane warning remained in effect for those islands as well as the southeastern Bahamas. The storm is not expected to pose a threat to the U.S. mainland.
Meanwhile, the loss of power left residents hunting for gas canisters for cooking, collecting rainwater or steeling themselves mentally for the hardships to come in the tropical heat.
In Puerto Rico, the electric grid was in sorry shape long before Maria - and Hurricane Irma two weeks ago - struck.
Diana Jaquez, one of the owners of the Coquette hair salon in the Santurce area, assessed damage from the storm with her husband Friday as their children played nearby. She said she hadn't decided whether to leave the island.
"Business has dropped a lot," she said. "People have other priorities than looking good."
Rossello said his administration was trying to open ports soon to receive food, water, generators, cots and other supplies.
"We're used to the lights going out because of storms here in Puerto Rico, but this time, we're worried," he said.