飓风艾玛已造成至少7人丧生

The center of powerful Hurricane Irma passed just north of Puerto Rico overnight and was set to go through the waters near the Dominican Republic and Haiti later Thursday while hitting all three with its powerful winds and rain.

By Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center expects the storm will close in on the Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas.

Irma killed at least one person in Barbuda and six people in St. Martin after rolling over those islands as a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 295 kilometers per hour. The NHC says Irma will remain a Category 4 or 5 storm for the next few days.

About 1 million people are without power in Puerto Rico, and the head of the power company on the U.S. territory said it could be four to six months before service is totally restored.

U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, which has been struggling to maintain its infrastructure in the midst of a financial crisis. The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts on the island.

Barbuda took a direct hit from Irma, which left behind what Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne called a "really horrendous situation." Browne said nearly every building was damaged.

Barbuda also faces the potential of being hit by Hurricane Jose later this week. That storm, which is not as strong as Irma, is forecast to pass near the northern Leeward Islands Saturday before curving north of the path that Irma has followed.

Saturday is the time Irma is expected to be affecting the U.S. state of Florida, still as a major hurricane. The latest forecast track issued by the NHC showed Irma going near Miami and up the state's east coast. Hurricane watches are expected to be posted for the state Thursday.

Officials in South Florida have already ordered people to evacuate coastal areas. Gas stations and grocery stores saw long lines Wednesday as people either fled to a safer area or stocked up supplies to ride out the storm.

Florida Governor Rick Scott told people to prepare now and not ignore mandatory evacuation orders. "You can rebuild your homes, but you cannot rebuild your life," Scott said.

飓风艾玛风眼夜间穿过波多黎各北面，星期四稍晚将进入多米尼加共和国和海地附近水域，给这三个地方带来狂风暴雨。

美国国家飓风中心预计，艾玛星期四晚上将逼近特克斯和凯科斯以及巴哈马南部。

每小时持续风速高达295公里的5级飓风艾玛造成巴布达一人丧生，圣马丁也有6人丧生。国家飓风中心说，在接下来的几天内，艾玛的飓风级别会保持在4级或5级的水平。

波多黎各有大约100万人停电，当地电力公司负责人说，全面恢复供电可能需要4到6个月。

美国总统川普早些时候宣布，波多黎各进入紧急状态。波多黎各正面临经济危机，基础设施的维护工作本来就跟不上。川普的宣布等于是授权美国联邦紧急事务署协调救灾努力。

巴布达受到飓风艾玛重创，安提瓜和巴布达总理布朗说，“情况实在很可怕”。布朗说，岛上几乎所有建筑都遭到了破坏。

巴布达本周晚些时候可能还会受到飓风何塞的袭击。何塞不如艾玛强劲，预计星期六将经过背风群岛北端。

星期六也是飓风艾玛预计抵达美国南部佛罗里达州的日子。美国国家飓风中心的最新追踪显示，艾玛将会出现在迈阿密附近，届时依然是强劲飓风，然后沿佛罗里达东海岸北上。飓风中心估计星期四就会对佛罗里达发出飓风警告。

佛罗里达州南部的政府官员已经下令海岸地区居民疏散。加油站和超市星期三都大排长龙，大家要么逃往安全地区，要么囤积物资，等待风暴的离去。

佛罗里达州州长斯科特告诫大家，现在就要做好准备，不要对必须撤离的命令充耳不闻。斯科特州长说：“你可以重建家园，但是不能创建你的生命。”