The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) - Mapping and the International Charter Space and Major Disasters have been activated for Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm, as it made landfall on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Category 5 is the highest grade on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. With sustained wind of 252 km/h or higher, category 5 hurricanes are expected to cause extensive damage. Hurricane Maria is the second maximum strength storm in the Atlantic this this month and has caused significant damage in Dominicana and other Caribbean islands. Many of the affected areas are still recovering from Hurricane Irma, which ripped across the region earlier this month.
