ປະເທດໂດມີນີກາທີ່ຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນເຂດທະເລ Caribbean ໄດ້ຖືກເຮີຣິເຄນ Maria ພັດຖະຫຼົ່ມໂດຍກົງຢ່າງໜັກຕະຫລອດຄືນຜ່ານມາ ພາຍຫລັງທີ່ລົມພາຍຸດັ່ງກ່າວ ໄດ້ເພີ້ມຄວາມແຮງຂຶ້ນຢ່າງວ່ອງໄວໄປເປັນເຮີຣິເຄນປະເພດ 5 ທີ່ມີຄວາມສາມາດນໍາເອົາຟອງທະເລຂອງລົມ ພາຍຸທີ່ເປັນອັນຕະລາຍຮ້າຍແຮງ ແລະຝົນຕົກໜັກທີ່ພາໃຫ້ເກີດນໍ້າຖ້ວມໃສ່ປະເທດດັ່ງກ່າວໄດ້.
ນາຍົກລັດຖະມົນຕີ Roosevelt Skerrit ຂຽນລົງໃນ Facebook ວ່າ ລາຍງານຂັ້ນຕົ້ນສະແດງໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ "ມີຄວາມເສຍຫາຍຢູ່ໃນຂົງເຂດອັນກວ້າງຂວາງ."
ທ່ນ Skerrit ກ່າວວ່າ "ຜ່ານມາພວກເຮົາສູນເສຍສິ່ງທີ່ບໍ່ສາມາດຊື້ ແລະທົດແທນດ້ວຍເງິນໄດ້. ສິ່ງທີ່ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຢ້ານກົວຫລາຍທີ່ສຸດກໍຄື ພວກເຮົາຕື່ນຂຶ້ນມາໄດ້ຍິນຂ່າວວ່າມີຄົນບາດເຈັບຢ່າງຮ້າຍແຮງ ແລະອາດມີການເສຍຊີວິດຍ້ອນດິນທີ່ອາດຈະເຈື່ອນຍ້ອນມີຝົນຕົກແຮງແບບບໍ່ຢຸດບໍ່ຢ່ອນ."
ທ່ານກ່າວເພີ້ມອີກວ່າ ຈຸດເພັ່ງເລັງແມ່ນສຸມໃສ່ຊອກຫາຄົນທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບບາດເຈັບຫລືຖືກທັບໂດຍສິ່ງຫັກພັງຕ່າງໆ. ທ່ານເວົ້າວ່າ "ເພື່ອນໆທັງຫຼາຍ ພວກເຮົາຈະຕ້ອງການຄວາມຊ່ວຍເຫລືອ ພວກເຮົາຈະຕ້ອງການ ການຊ່ວຍເຫລືອໃນທຸກປະເພດແລະຮູບແບບ.”
ສູນກາງເຮີຣິເຄນແຫ່ງຊາດຂອງສະຫະລັດເວົ້າວ່າ ລົມພາຍຸ Maria ມີລົມແຮງທີ່ສູງສຸດ ໃນຕອນເຊົ້າມືດຂອງວັນອັງຄານມື້ນີ້ ຢູ່ໃນລະດັບປະມານ 250 ກິໂລແມັດຕໍ່ຊົ່ວໂມງ. ສູນກາງຂອງລົມພາຍຸໄດ້ເຄື່ອນຍ້າຍ ອອກຈາກເກາະໂດມີນິກາຢ່າງຊ້າໆ ແລະມຸ່ງໜ້າໄປຫາພາກໃຕ້ຂອງເກາະ Guadaloupe ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຫົວລົມແຮງແລະຝົນໄດ້ຂະຫຍາຍອອກໄປຫາຫຼາຍໆເຂດຂອງເກາະ Leeward Islands ແລະເກາະ Lesser Antilles.
ບັນດາເຂດເຫລົ່ານັ້ນ ເກືອບວ່າບໍ່ມີເວລາທີ່ຈະຟື້ນຕົວຄືນຈາກເຮີຣິເຄນ Irma, ຊຶ່ງເປັນລົມ ພາຍຸແຮງອີກຫົວນຶ່ງ ທີ່ໄດ້ພັດຜ່ານເຂດດັ່ງກ່າວດ້ວຍຄວາມແຮງທີ່ສ້າງຄວາມເສຍຫາຍແບບຄ້າຍໆກັນ ໃນຕົ້ນເດືອນນີ້.
ທ່ານ Dennis Feltgen, ນັກພະຍາກອນອາກາດປະຈໍາສູນກາງເຮີຣິເຄນແຫ່ງຊາດ ຢູ່ນະ
ຄອນ Miami ກ່າວຕໍ່ VOA ວ່າ "ໜ້າເສຍໃຈ ລົມພາຍຸນີ້ໄດ້ປະທະໃສ່ເກາະຕ່າງໆ ທີ່ຫາກໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບຜົນເສຍຫາຍຈາກເຮີຣິເຄນ Irma ໃນອາທິດນຶ່ງ ຫລື 10 ມື້ກ່ອນໜ້ານີ້". "ມັນບໍ່ແມ່ນພັດຢູ່ໃນແລວດຽວກັນ ແຕ່ວ່າ ໂດຍລວມແລ້ວມັນຍັງພັດຢູ່ໃນເຂດດຽວກັນ ສະນັ້ນມັນບໍ່ໄດ້ຊ່ວຍເຮັດໃຫ້ສະຖານະການຢູ່ຂົງເຂດນັ້ນດີຂຶ້ນ ແຕ່ຢ່າງໃດເລີຍ."
ສູນກາງເຮີຣິເຄນແຫ່ງຊາດ ຄາດວ່າ ຈຸດໃຈກາງຂອງລົມພາຍຸເຮີຣິເຄນ Maria ຈະເຄື່ອນໄປເຖິງເກາະ Virgin Islands ຂອງສະຫະລັດ ພາຍໃນຕອນສວຍຂອງວັນອັງຄານມື້ນີ້
"ໂດຍເປັນເຮີຣິເຄນໃຫຍ່ທີ່ເປັນອັນຕະລາຍຮ້າຍແຮງທີ່ສຸດ," ແລະຈະພັດຜ່ານ Puerto Rico ໃນວັນພຸດມື້ອື່ນ.
ເບິ່ງວີດິໂອກ່ຽວກັບຂ່າວນີ້ເພີ້ມ
The Caribbean island nation Dominica took a direct hit overnight from Hurricane Maria, after the storm rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane capable of bringing life-threatening storm surge and flooding rains.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wrote on Facebook that initial reports indicate "widespread devastation."
"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace. My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake up to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains," Skerrit said.
He added that the focus is on finding people injured or trapped in rubble.
"We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds," he said.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds early Tuesday of about 250 kilometers per hour. The center of the storm was slowly moving away from Dominica and past the southern coast of Guadaloupe, while bands of strong winds and rain extended to many areas in the Leeward Islands and Lesser Antilles.
Those areas barely had time to begin recovering from another powerful storm, Hurricane Irma, which came through with similar, devastating strength earlier this month.
"Unfortunately it is impacting many of the islands which were severely damaged by Irma just a week to 10 days ago," Dennis Feltgen, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, told VOA. "It's not an identical path, but it is still in the same general area, so this is not helping the situation down there at all."
The National Hurricane Center expects the eye of Hurricane Maria to approach the U.S. Virgin Islands by late Tuesday as an "extremely dangerous major hurricane," and to cross over Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp urged people there to finish their preparations before the storm arrives.
"We are going to have a very, very long night," he said.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, also told island residents to brace for the storm's arrival, saying, "It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter."
The U.S. territory imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned food, batteries and flashlights.
U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorized Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all relief efforts.
Maria would be the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years, since a Category 4 storm swept the U.S. island territory in 1932, according to Feltgen. The last major hurricane to strike Puerto Rico directly was Georges, which made landfall there as a Category 3 storm.
"The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was forecast to be above average and that is certainly the case right now," Feltgen said. "The bad news is that we're only just past the halfway point of the season. We still have plenty more weeks to go. The peak of the season runs from mid-August through late October and there are still many more storms on the horizon."
Hurricane Jose is also bringing a threat of flooding rains to isolated areas along the northern part of U.S. East Coast this week. The center of the storm is well out to sea, but tropical storm force winds could reach the coast, with strong surf affecting those areas as well as Bermuda and the Bahamas.