Hurricane Georges barreled into the northeastern Caribbean with 110 mph winds Monday, flooding roads, toppling trees and utility lines and forcing thousands from their homes.
More than 10,000 people sought shelter in schools and public buildings in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where the storm was expected later Monday. Both U.S. territories declared states of emergency and activated National Guard troops."This hurricane has the characteristics of being the strongest that we have confronted in Puerto Rico in decades," warned Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Rossello.
At 11 a.m., Georges was centered 35 miles east of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was moving west-northwest at 16 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 85 miles from the eye, mostly to the northeast.
Georges' strength diminished considerably from a monstrous 150 mph on Sunday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned the storm was "extremely dangerous."
Its winds howling, Georges downed trees and utility lines, ripped wooden and galvanized roofs from homes and pelted sheets of rain into homes in Antigua and St. Kitts and Nevis. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
In St. John's, Antigua's capital, armed soldiers patrolled the streets to deter looting.
"The storm really messed us up real bad. We got a pounding, a real pounding," said Norman Thomas, manager of ABS radio in Antigua, where 5,700 people spent the night in shelters.
A hurricane warning was issued Monday for the Dominican Republic, and hurricane watches went into effect for Haiti's north coast, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.
Winds gusted above 90 mph in St. Martin. Waves crested over the city pier in Frederiksted, St. Croix.
In St. Kitts and its sister island of Nevis, residents ventured out briefly to survey storm damage and check on neighbors when Georges' eye passed overhead before dawn. They hurried inside as the hurricane's rear wall hit with a vengeance.
On the French island of Guadeloupe, raging seas flooded roads in the northern towns of Anse-Bertrand and Campeche and forced residents living near the beach to head inland. Swirling winds knocked out power in several Guadeloupe towns.
In Antigua, families huddled in basements and shop owners erected sandbag barricades against flooding. In St. John's, Antigua's capital, civil defense workers distributed flashlights, mos-quito coils, water and toilet paper to nervous shelter residents.
Residents in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands boarded windows and jammed markets to stock up on ice, water and canned food.
U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Roy Schneider imposed an 8 p.m. curfew and asked President Clinton to declare a federal state of emergency.
In Puerto Rico, Rossello banned liquor sales and ordered officials to open more than 330 shelters. Banks and schools closed Monday, major airlines canceled flights and suspended ferry service.
More than 1,000 people left their homes for shelters in San Juan, Arecibo, Mayaguez and other cities.