There’s an uneasy combination of expectation and nervousness in San Juan as residents wait for the arrival of a second huge hurricane in as many weeks.

Irma didn’t cause significant damage in Puerto Rico, yet thousands are still without power and conditions for those in poorer, less stable housing remain difficult. Hurricane Maria, however, is likely to make a far more direct hit on the island and could be the most powerful storm to make landfall on the territory in 85 years.

In advance of the high winds and rain, people are boarding up their homes, many businesses have already closed and it appears most families are simply not venturing out except to find the most necessary items.

Bottled water is beginning to sell out in stores and people are tracking the path of the storm carefully. Tension has risen a little further since people heard of the damage that Hurricane Maria caused on the tiny island of Dominica.

With Puerto Rico in the middle of a deep economic crisis and some communities still recovering from the last event, this is a bad time for the island to be experiencing another giant storm.

For now, however, Governor Ricardo Rossello has simply urged people not to risk their lives and for those in wooden or poorly constructed housing to seek refuge with family or friends.