Puerto Rico and small islands of the north-eastern Caribbean are on alert as the latest Atlantic hurricane roars in at category-three strength.
Rains from Hurricane Omar, which is packing maximum winds of 115mph (185km/h), have reached the Virgin island of St Croix and two Puerto Rican islands.
One man reportedly died of a heart attack on the island of Culebra.
The 2008 hurricane season has been active, including devastating storms that led to some 800 deaths in Haiti.
At 0300 GMT the centre of Omar was about 30 miles (45km) south-east of St Croix, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said.
Boats sink
Heavy rains and winds battered the island, sinking boats in the harbour, felling trees and forcing workers to shut down a major oil refinery, The Associated Press reports.
At the Caravelle Hotel, maintenance worker Mike Parish was working by the light from generators in a vain effort to keep rain water from blowing in beneath the door after the authorities cut electricity across the island as a precaution.
"We're doing all we can," he said. "The water is too much for us."
US Virgin Islands Governor John deJongh on Wednesday closed all public schools, sent home government employees and imposed an 1800 curfew across the islands.
"Take this very seriously," he said. "Folks are out right now doing their last minute shopping, and that's understandable. Once that's done, we encourage them to go home."
On Puerto Rico's island of Culebra, a man collapsed as he tried to install storm shutters on his house, AP says.
On Vieques, the storm flooded roads and downed tree branches.
Schools, government offices and most businesses have shut down in Puerto Rico and residents have been buying up drinking water, canned goods and other supplies.
"I'm not too worried, but I went out and bought water, candles and gas," San Juan resident Kevin Mead, 35, told Reuters news agency.
Earlier, Omar dumped rain on northern Venezuela and nearby islands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7672212.stm
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