Hurricane Maria intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm and pounded the Caribbean island of Dominica with sustained winds of 260 kilometer per hour.<br/> <br/>Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that his roof had been torn off and he was at the complete mercy of the hurricane. He said his house had flooded, later adding that he had been rescued. Dominica's airport and ports have been closed. Dominica authorities had closed schools and government offices and urged people to move from dangerous areas to shelters.<br/> <br/>The nearby island of Martinique has declared a maximum-level alert while another French island, Guadeloupe, ordered evacuations. Forecasters warned that heavy rainfall caused by the hurricane could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. The storm was following a path that could take it today near many of the islands recently devastated by Hurricane Irma and then head toward a possible direct strike on Puerto Rico tomorrow.