Puerto Rico braces for Hurricane Irma - CNN
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)People rushed to stores in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, emptying shelves of food and water as worry set in ahead of Hurricane Irma's expected impact Wednesday on the US territory.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard in preparation.
Those living on the commonwealth braced for the hurricane's potentially devastating winds and deluge, fearing if the Category 5 storm knocks out power from the bankrupt island's weakened electrical system, it may take weeks or months before power is restored.
Irma could be the strongest hurricane to ever hit the island, forecasters say. Some wonder whether Puerto Rico can rebuild.
"This is not a hurricane, this is a beast," a clerk in San Juan told CNN.
Another woman told CNN affiliate WAPA the power "is something absolutely necessary, especially due to Puerto Rico's weather. We need to have the A/C or a fan on all night."
Last month, the director of Puerto Rico's power utility, Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez, said several factors have made the island's electric system "vulnerable and fragile," WAPA reported.
One of those is the shortage of employees. Many workers recently retired or left their jobs for better prospects on the US mainland, Ramos Rodríguez said.
