"Hurricane Dorian Spares Puerto Rico as Florida Prepares for Landfall"

"MIAMI — Hurricane Dorian struck Puerto Rico with a glancing blow on Wednesday, bringing back difficult memories as the first big storm to threaten the island since Hurricane Maria tore through two years ago.

Dorian has been unpredictable, frustrating forecasters and paralyzing Puerto Ricans for days as they watched the storm track shift toward the island. At one point, it looked as if Dorian would cut an eerily parallel path to Maria’s destruction, albeit with far less intensity. Puerto Ricans lined up outside big-box stores to stock up on supplies and swamped a mental health hotline to get help with their anxiety.

“So many people are hysterical, and it’s because Maria was strong,” said Carmen Vargas, 54, a resident of rural Guaynabo, P.R., near San Juan, the capital, as she vividly recalled the 2017 storm. “Even though we know it’s not the same, the memories come back, and the wounds reopen.”"

Patricia Mazzei, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, and Mitch Smith report for the New York Times August 28, 2019.

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"Hurricane Dorian Gains Might As It Takes Aim At Florida" (Reuters)

Source: NY Times, 08/29/2019