Hurricane Maria made landfall this evening in Dominica as a Category 5 storm.
The Miami based the National Hurricane Center says other islands in the region, are also bracing for the impact.
The National Hurricane Centre says Maria made landfall on Dominica around 9:15 p.m. with estimated winds of 160 mph, radar data from Martinique and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated.
Dominica was "shut down" as the storm approached, said Anil Etienne, a spokesperson for Dominica’s Office of Disaster Management.
In a post on social media, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said : "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding."
The Prime Minister, who was eventually rescued, said the winds from the storm "were merciless".
In the latest forecast, the Hurricane Centre said Maria is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through Wednesday.
During the next few hours, the storm is expected to approach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Maria is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and some additional strengthening is possible tonight, but some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two.
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