US President Trump Declares Major Disaster in Puerto Rico Amid Hurricane Irma

US President Donald Trump declared an emergency situation in Puerto Rico, affected by Hurricane Irma, and ordered to provide assistance to local residents, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The hurricane has swept across Puerto Rico killing at least three people and destroying infrastructure. It was said that some 900,000 people were left without power after the hurricane.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Irma beginning on September 5, 2017, and continuing," the statement read.

Irma, a Category 5 storm, ripped through islands of the Eastern Caribbean on Wednesday en route to the US state of Florida, leaving a trail of destruction in its path, including French overseas territories Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy belonging to France's overseas department of Guadeloupe. On Friday, the hurricane hit Cuba and continued toward Florida.

Earlier in the day, US National Hurricane Center classified the hurricane as Category 4.

The hurricane is one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and has already caused more than 20 deaths.