Story ID: 
Hurricane Maria Hammers Puerto Rico
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The Category 4 storm, the worst to hit the island in nearly nine decades, has left it largely without power.
Word Count: 185
While Puerto Rico avoided serious damage from Hurricane Irma, its luck ran out this morning when Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall as the most powerful storm to hit the island since 1928. As of 11 a.m., 90 percent of the island was said to be without power, with the hurricane packing 140-mph winds and its eye 25 miles west of San Juan. According to Tommy Hill, president of Million Air San Juan at Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport, the location’s terminal and hangar were intact, while Signature Flight Support had not yet received a report from its facility there.

Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport shut down yesterday at 5 p.m., while fueling operations ended at 2 p.m. to allow crews to secure the refuelers. Jet Aviation expects to receive a status report on its recently rebranded Jet Aviation San Juan facility there sometime tomorrow, depending on when authorities reopen the access roads.

Signature reported that its base on Antigua had reopened this morning, while its St. Kitts and Nevis facilities, currently facing power issues, are expected to resume operations tomorrow.