Hawaii News: Tropical Storm Miriam Could Turn Into Hurricane
Tropical storm Miriam might turn into a hurricane by Monday. In this image, Hurricane Lane, with a well-defined eye, is shown positioned about 300 miles south of Hawaii's Big Island at 2 p.m. EDT, Aug. 22, 2018. Reuters/NOAA

Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency Tuesday ahead of Tropical Storm Dorian's path.

"For citizens who do not yet have safe roofs, we will have shelters ready," Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced said on Twitter.

The storm made proper landfall Tuesday morning, hitting the Lesser Antilles islands south of Puerto Rico with wind gusts of 55 mph and heavy rain. And the storm was continuing northwest moving at around 15 mph.

Forecasters believe Dorian could develop into a Category 1 hurricane before hitting Puerto Rico, prompting worries from other parts of the Caribbean. Dorian could hit Puerto Rico by Wednesday, with the western and southern portions of the island expected to face the worst conditions.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Dorian is expected to pass in the area of Puerto Rico before moving Thursday towards the eastern parts of the Dominican Republic.

Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017. The storm killed over 3,000 people and destroyed a good portion of its infrastructure, leaving many homeless.

Puerto Rico is also reeling from a political controversy that forced the resignation of then-Gov. Ricardo Rossello amid accusations of corruption and the leak of thousands of chat messages. Rossello and his top aides exchanged messages that contained language considered offensive and appeared to minimalize the damage from Maria.

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