Hurricane Irma

The U.S. territory filed to restructure billions in debt earlier this year. Those economic straits threaten to hobble the island's ability to cope with the effects of the Category 5 hurricane.

The strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic outside of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico is expected to pass "near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight," forecasters say.

North Carolinians are closely watching the path of Hurricane Irma, and the state is telling residents it's never too early to prepare an emergency plan.

As the powerful storm approaches the U.S., here are some of the basics about the dangers it poses.

Irma is the strongest hurricane the National Hurricane Center has ever recorded in the Atlantic basin outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

The island and the state of Florida have declared states of emergency in anticipation of Irma, which could become the second major storm this year to hit the U.S. East Coast.