Maria: Puerto Rico slapped with double blow

Hurricane Maria is now a Category 5 storm, and Puerto Rico has been hit again, just under two weeks after its rough battle with Hurricane Irma.

According to The Guardian, the US National Weather Service has declared a flash flood emergency for central Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria has already claimed the lives of at least seven people in the Dominica, and extremely dangerous floods are expected to hit the island soon.

Hurricane Maria is the first storm of its size to hit Puerto Rico in 89 years, and officials warn that the results will be catestrophic. Wind speeds are reported as 155 miles per hour.

Puerto Rico had previously been a refuge for millions of people in the Caribbean who were fleeing Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, but now almost 900,000 residents of Puerto Rico are without power, and left vulnerable.

The Dominican Republic is also bracing for Maria's impact, where hurricane warnings have been issued.