Nilo The Poodle To The Rescue!

Parts of the Caribbean were preparing for power outages, landslides and other impacts as what will likely become Tropical Storm Isaias began to move across the Virgin Islands late Wednesday morning.

The storm, for now dubbed Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine by the National Hurricane Center, is cutting a path through areas still struggling to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has raked economies and strained emergency management resources.

A wind gust of 51 mph was recorded on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. instituted a curfew from midnight to noon Thursday.

“We are currently tracking this as primarily a wind and a rain event," Bryan said during a Wednesday morning news conference. “We do expect some trees or limbs might be blown down."

He said road closures were also probable. National Guard teams and other personnel were on standby.

(FORECAST: Tropical Storm Warnings Issued For the Caribbean; Isaias May Impact Florida This Weekend)

Up to 10 inches of rainfall is possible in some areas as the system moves over the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.

Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director for the U.S. Virgin Islands, said in the news conference that shelters won't be open because of a combination of coronavirus and the storm's relatively low threat. Jaschen also said sandbags won't be handed out.

”Due to COVID-19 conditions … we don’t want to have mass gatherings for sandbags," he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard planned to shut down ports Wednesday afternoon in both the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Landslides and flooding are a concern in Puerto Rico, which on top of the previous hurricanes and coronavirus is also reeling from a recent series of earthquakes that destroyed hundreds of homes.

“We're not facing a situation like Maria, but we have to remain wary,” Pedro Janer, secretary Puerto Rico's Department of Public Safety, said in a news conference, according to The Associated Press.

Hurricane Maria devastated the island almost three years ago,

The island experienced a widespread power outage on Tuesday, with more than 450,000 customers losing power. The cause of the outage wasn't known, but Hurricane Maria heavily damaged Puerto Rico's power grid and there are concerns about whether it can withstand tropical storm force winds.

Gov. Wanda Vázquez warned residents to brace for power outages, and said more than 300 shelters across the island were prepared to open if necessary, with more than 130,000 face masks on hand.

“We've lived through several emergencies at one time,” Vázquez said. “I want you to remain calm.”

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