The first hurricane of the Atlantic season has gained strength as it passes north of the Dominican Republic.

本年度大西洋海域上第一股飓风艾琳经过多米尼加共和国北部之后势力逐渐增强。

Irene has now passed Puerto Rico
The Dominican Republic closed schools and evacuated¹ coastal² communities in preparation for Hurricane Irene.

Irene brought high winds and torrential rain（暴雨） to Puerto Rico, cutting electricity to about 800,000 people.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre in Miami say Irene will strengthen further as it heads north-west towards the Bahamas.

Irene is generating winds of more than 150km/h (95mph), and may hit Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas in the US later in the week.

In Puerto Rico, there were no reports of deaths or major injuries as Irene ripped（撕，扯） across the island, uprooting³ trees.

The storm cut power to more than half the island, while water supplies to more than 100,000 people were affected⁴.

The governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuno, said the worst-hit area was the east coast, from Fajardo to Yabucoa.

He said he had asked the US government to declare Puerto Rico a disaster area so it could gain access to emergency funds.

A hurricane warning is in force for the north coast of the Dominican Republic, eastward⁵ from the Haitian border.

Emergency response

The northern coast of Haiti and the north-western Bahamas are on hurricane watch.

All of Haiti is under a tropical storm warning.

Haiti, which suffers from extensive deforestation（森林采伐） and poor infrastructure⁶, is particularly vulnerable to the heavy rains Irene is expected to bring.

The United Nations agencies operating in Haiti say they have activated⁷ their emergency response systems to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

On Monday, the European Commission launched a programme to improve disaster preparedness in Haiti, worth 5.47m euros.

In June, more than 20 Haitians were killed by mudslides and flash floods.

The country is also still struggling to recover from a devastating⁸ earthquake in January 2010, which officials said killed as many as 230,000 people, leaving more than 1 million homeless.

According to the International Organization for Migration⁹, some 634,000 Haitians still live in camps; other estimates put that figure at 375,000.