SAN JUAN: Flash floods brought fresh misery to Puerto Rico on Thursday after its infrastructure was shattered by Hurricane Maria as President Donald Trump declared the US territory a disaster zone.

The hurricane, which Trump said had “absolutely obliterated” the island, left its 3.4 million people totally without power and officials said it may be months before it is fully restored.

The storm was blamed for 10 deaths in the Caribbean, including a man in northern Puerto Rico’s Bayamon district who was struck by a board he had used to cover his windows.

“Puerto Rico is absolutely obliterated,” Trump told reporters after declaring the island a disaster area in a move that will free up emergency relief funding.

“Puerto Rico is in a very, very, very tough shape,” he said.

Though the storm had moved back out to sea, authorities declared a flash flood warning for all of Puerto Rico as “torrential” rains continued to lash the island.

“If possible, move to higher ground NOW!” the National Weather Service station in San Juan said in a tweet, calling the flooding “catastrophic.” Puerto Rico was expected to receive 20 to 30 inches of rain through on Saturday, with some isolated areas receiving 35 inches, the National Hurricane Centre said.

The rain had turned some roads in the US territory into muddy brown rivers, impassable to all but the largest of vehicles.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2017