'Extremely dangerous' Hurricane Maria strengthens as it heads towards Caribbean islands
A fresh hurricane warning has been put in place for British overseas territories and parts of the Caribbean this week, just days after Irma unleashed devastation on the region.
Forecasters said that Hurricane Maria had strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, describing it as being "extremely dangerous".
Hurricane conditions are expected for Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat, and the National Hurricane Centre warned Puerto Rico to monitor the storm.
The British Virgin Islands could be bit by up to 20 inches of rainfaill through Wednesday night. In Anguilla a maximum amount of up to eight inches could fall.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all travel to the British Virgin Islands as Maria is expected to make landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday, with severe damage and coastal flooding expected. Similar warnings against all but essential travel are in place for Montserrat and Anguilla.
It comes less than a fortnight after Hurricane Irma - the most powerful Atlantic storm on record - killed at least 84 people, more than half of them in the Caribbean.
On Sunday evening the centre of the storm was about 125 miles northeast of Barbados and about 255 miles southeast of the Leeward island of Dominica.
Chris Austin from the Department for International Development, who is now leading the UK's response to the disaster, said the Joint Task Force is anticipating having to provide further short term relief as Hurricane Maria edges closer.
There are now 1,100 troops in the region, as extra have been sent in preparation for the latest hurricane.
He said they have already provided 75 tonnes of aid - including shelter kits, food and water - but that the 5,000 tarpaulins already distributed could be lost in the new weather front.
"We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst, we need to demonstrate our own resilience because there could be some pretty sharp backwards steps I think," he said.
Brigadier John Ridge, the second in command of the Joint Task Force, said the UK's military helicopters and aircraft in the region "will be kept out of harm's way" in Barbados, where there is cover to protect them.
Brig Ridge added that additional reserve troops will be sent to the British Virgin Islands, but defended his decision to put troops potentially in harm's way, stating it is a "risk worth taking" because it ensures "extra capacity" to deal with any immediate problems in the aftermath.
"Once the hurricane is through we can leap back into action, we have got the guys positioned in the right place so they are ready to react," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Maynard, commanding officer of 40 Commando Royal Marines, said the experts and people are already there ready to deal with whatever damage or problems Storm Maria may cause, and to get aid to wherever it is needed.
He revealed that 70% of Tortola's prison population is now back behind bars, and that during the potential hurricane, cross agency security forces will be put into the jail.