Hurricane Maria strengthened rapidly on Monday as it blasted towards the eastern Caribbean, forcing exhausted islanders - still recovering from megastorm Irma - to brace for the worst again. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the "major hurricane" had intensified to Category 3 as it approached the French territory of Guadeloupe, the base for relief operations for several islands devastated by Irma this month.
Islanders on neighbouring Martinique, which is also part of France, have been ordered to stay indoors as a maximum-level "violet" alert went into force. Schools, businesses and government offices have been ordered shut in Guadeloupe, where Maria was due to make landfall around midday (1600 GMT). Each island has a population of around 400,000 people.
The NHC warned the hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 193 kilometres (120 miles) an hour, would strengthen further over the next two days. Maria could produce a "dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves" that would raise water levels by four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8 metres), it said. Up to 20 inches (51 centimetres) of rain could drench the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night - conditions that could cause life-threatening floods and mudslides.
Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and the British island of Montserrat are also on alert. Criticised for the pace of relief efforts in their overseas territories devastated by Irma, Britain, France and the Netherlands said they were boosting resources for the Caribbean as Maria approaches.
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