SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The Latest on Hurricane Maria and its devastation of Puerto Rico (all times local):
3:50 p.m.
Jennifer Lopez says she’s donating $1 million from the proceeds of her Las Vegas residency to relief efforts in Puerto Rico, where she has family roots.
Jennifer Lopez announces her new hurricane recovery efforts for Puerto Rico Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 in New York. She pledge to donate time and money help the recovery efforts. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr.)
The entertainer announced the pledge on Sunday at an event describing New York state efforts to aid the hurricane-devastated island.
She said she and former baseball player Alex Rodriguez, along with singer Marc Anthony and a range of Latino musicians, athletes and business leaders would commit to get resources and aid to Puerto Rico and the wider Caribbean region.
An emotional Lopez spoke first in Spanish, talking about how Hurricane Maria has ravaged the island, and calling on everyone to get involved in helping to rebuild.
___
12:45 p.m.
Puerto Rico’s government says engineers will inspect the Guajataca Dam on Sunday to determine the extent of damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria last week.
The dam was cracked but had not burst by late Saturday. But Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario Rosario said in a statement that the dam’s “fissure was big and it will collapse at any minute.”
Fears that the dam would fail prompted the government to evacuate nearby residents.
The 345-yard (316-meter) dam was built around 1928. It holds back a man-made lake covering about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers).
More than 15 inches (nearly 40 centimeters) of rain from Maria fell on the surrounding mountains.
___
11:45 a.m.
A French warship has brought reconstruction equipment to Caribbean islands slammed by hurricanes Irma and Maria as part of broader efforts to help French territories cope with extreme weather.
The Defense Ministry said Sunday the helicopter carrier Tonnerre has arrived with more than 1,000 tons of material and 300 additional military personnel for the cleanup on St. Martin and nearby islands. That brings the total French military presence to 2,000 people.
It also said Defense Minister Florence Parly is ordering a new patrol ship to be permanently stationed in the Caribbean to help with future storms and to fight trafficking.
A joint French, British and Dutch aid coordination effort is also underway for Caribbean territories with lingering ties to Europe, after criticism that governments didn’t sufficiently prepare the islands for this season’s hurricanes.
___
11:15 a.m.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Maria has weakened slightly as it moves northward, but it’s still likely to bring increasing swells and high surf to the Southeastern U.S. coast.
Maria, which walloped Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane last week, is now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph)
The Hurricane Center says it was centered about 475 miles (765 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina before noon Sunday.
It said people along the Carolina and Mid-Atlantic coasts should monitor the storm.
Hundreds of people wait in line since the morning to buy gasoline three days after the impact of Hurricane Maria in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. A humanitarian crisis grew Saturday in Puerto Rico as towns were left without fresh water, fuel, power or phone service following Hurricane Maria’s devastating passage across the island. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Water drains from the Guajataca Dam in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Puerto Rican officials rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of people downstream of the failing dam and the massive scale of the disaster wrought by Hurricane Maria started to become clear. (AP Photo)
Dead horses lie on the side of the road after the passing of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Friday, September 22, 2017. Because of the heavy rains brought by Maria, thousands of people were evacuated from Toa Baja after the municipal government opened the gates of the Rio La Plata Dam. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Residents evacuate after the passing of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Friday, September 22, 2017. Because of the heavy rains brought by Maria, thousands of people were evacuated from Toa Baja after the municipal government opened the gates of the Rio La Plata Dam. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Governor Andrew Cuomo, left and Jennifer Lopez walk on stage before announcing new hurricane recovery efforts for Puerto Rico Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 in New York. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr.)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.