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Hurricane Maria has intensified into an "extremely dangerous" category four storm as it bears down on the Caribbean, according to forecasters.
With maximum sustained winds of 130mph, the National Hurricane Centre says the storm is growing in strength as it approaches land.
The eye of Maria is expected to pass near the island of Dominica on Monday evening - and hurricane warnings have been issued.
There are also fears that territories battered by Hurricane Irma could face further destruction.
Up to 51cm (20 inches) of rain could drench the British and US Virgin Islands on Wednesday night, as well as Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands.
Forecasters have warned these conditions could cause life-threatening floods and mudslides, and there is also a risk of a "dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves".
Cat Clayton, who owns a hotel on the British Virgin Islands, told Sky News that it was now too late to escape - and that she was preparing to weather the storm from Tortola.
"It can't get much worse that what it is," she said. "We have to pull together as a community, as a family and just hunker down and get on with our days, get ready and prepared as we possibly can."
Entire rooms had been ripped from Mrs Clayton's building, she said, turning what had once been a tropical paradise into a wasteland.
"We got away with our lives and that's the only thing that matters, we're still alive and holding on," she said. "There's no chance to get out now so all we have to do is just prepare as best we can."
The destruction caused by Irma on Tortola
Some 80% of all Tortola's buildings were damaged or totally destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
Its 185mph winds stripped trees and power lines, scattered yachts, shipping containers and cars in all directions, and tore entire homes to pieces.
The debris it left is now scattered across the island, ready to be picked up again by Hurricane Maria.
The UK Government has pledged £57m in aid for hurricane relief in the region, British troops are on the grounds to assist in the recovery effort, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Tortola to see the damage.
A map showing the positions of Hurricane Maria and Jose in the Atlantic at 5.30am UK time on Monday
But this may offer scant reassurance for those whose homes and lives have been battered by the hurricane.
Martin Phillips, a volunteer who is helping with the relief effort, said: "They've lost virtually everything. They've lost their homes, they're inundated with mosquitoes that follow the flooding and now they get this.
"It's going to hit morale, but they're amazing people."
(SKYNEWS)
