Hurricane Elsa races toward Haiti amid fears of landslides and flooding
Elsa is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and the earliest fifth-named storm on record. By Hayley Halpin Saturday 3 Jul 2021, 7:31 AM 13 hours ago 7,063 Views 4 Comments
Hurricane Elsa approaches Argyle, St Vincent
Image: Orvil Samuel via PA Images
Hurricane Elsa approaches Argyle, St Vincent
Image: Orvil Samuel via PA Images
HURRICANE ELSA IS racing towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it threatens to unleash flooding and landslides before taking aim at Cuba and Florida.
The Category 1 storm was located about 635 kilometres east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 46km/h today.
Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic storm season on Friday as it battered the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports.
The storm is forecast to impact Florida early next week and officials are urging residents there to make preparations.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said he is putting together a potential emergency order as Elsa approaches, adding that id South Florida could see tropical-storm-force winds as soon as Sunday night.
Sustained winds were near 85 mph, making the storm a Category 1 hurricane, according to the 8 p.m. EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Elsa was located 475 miles east-southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic, moving west-northwest at 30 mph.
“The whole country is threatened by this hurricane,” the Civil Protection Agency said in a statement.
“Make every effort to escape before it’s too late.”
Haiti is especially vulnerable to floods and landslides because of widespread erosion and deforestation.
A hurricane warning was issued for Jamaica and from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince to Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic.
A hurricane watch was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba.
Some of those provinces have reported a high number of COVID-19 infections, raising concerns that the storm could force large groups of people to seek shelter together.
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Hurricane Elsa weakened slightly early Saturday as it continued barreling through the Caribbean on its way to Florida, according to reports.
The hurricane was following a path that was expected to carry it west of the partial condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, by the time it reaches the state early Tuesday as a tropical storm, the Sun Sentinel of South Florida reported.
After posting wind gusts of 85 miles per hour late Friday as it neared Hispaniola, Elsa’s winds slowed to about 80 mph early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said in a 2 a.m. advisory.
Published on: Saturday, July 03, 2021
By: AP
Text Size: electrical pole felled by Hurricane Elsa leans on the edge of a residential balcony, in Cedars, St. Vincent, Friday, July 2, 2021. Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Friday as it blew off roofs and snapped trees in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. (AP photo)
SAN JUAN: Hurricane Elsa raced toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday, where it threatened to unleash flooding and landslides before taking aim at Cuba and Florida.
The Category 1 storm was located about 395 miles (635 kilometers) east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 29 mph (46 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), with the hurricane expected to become a tropical storm after hitting Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.