US President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for the US Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the US to the east of Puerto Rico, after the storm caused blackouts, knocking down trees and power lines across the Caribbean on Wednesday.

The declaration, signed by Trump on Wednesday, directs the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts in the territory.

Dorian made landfall in Saint Thomas, the second largest of the US Virgin Islands, as a category 1 storm Wednesday, causing minor damage to the islands’ infrastructure. While the territory escaped relatively unscathed, the storm still triggered sporadic power shutdowns across several cities and an island-wide blackout in Saint Thomas.

Earlier on Wednesday, a state of emergency was issued for Florida, which lies in the path of the hurricane, now heading for Puerto Rico.

to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.