Tropical storm 'Omar' strengthened into a hurricane and took aim at the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday after drenching the southeastern Caribbean, Associated Press reported. Authorities issued a hurricane warning for the U.S. Virgin islands as well as Puerto Rico's Vieques and Culebra islands. Hurricane warnings were also in place for St. Martin, the British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis and other islands. Officials in Puerto Rico, already soaked from several days of rain, warned residents to prepare for a lot more, and medical authorities appealed for blood donations for possible casualties. Omar was a Category 1 hurricane with winds near 75 mph (120 kph), and the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami projected it would strengthen further. The center said the storm would likely pass by Puerto Rico overnight Wednesday, and possibly deliver a direct blow to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, residents scrambled to stock up on batteries, water and canned goods. Emergency management director Mark Walters urged islanders to take the warnings seriously. «This is the time to take those precautions, in terms of getting your family and your personal selves ready for the storm,» he said. Classes and ferry services were canceled in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The hurricane center said 'Omar' was expected to plow over the northeastern Caribbean islands then head into the central North Atlantic, well away from the U.S. mainland. At 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT) Tuesday, Omar's center was located about 310 miles (495 kilometers) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and was moving northeast near 6 mph (9 kph).
