Puerto Ricans on Monday rushed to supermarkets, shops and shopping malls all over the island to be prepared for the passage of Hurricane Irma through the island during its journey through the Caribbean region.

Governor Ricardo Rossello declared pre-emptive state of emergency and ordered the activation of the National Guard ahead of Hurricane Irma, which strengthened to powerful Category 4.

From early hours of the day, shops and supermarkets were crowded with people looking for mainly water, canned food and fuel generators, given the expected blackouts given the fragility of the state-owned Electric Power Authority (AEE) system.

The statement by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) of a hurricane watch and the government's decision to establish a state of emergency caused greater uncertainty among the population, who responded by going to supermarkets before the fear of a shortage.

The National Hurricane Center (CNH) in Miami reported in its latest bulletin that Hurricane Irma is on its way to the Caribbean region.