Tropical Storm Elsa will land on the central coast of Cuba

Tropical Storm Elsa swept across the southern coast of Cuba early Monday, and meteorologists said it could reach the island’s central coast by mid-afternoon.

on Sunday, The Cuban authorities have evacuated 180,000 people as a precaution against the possibility of heavy flooding With a storm that has already hit several islands in the Caribbean, At least three people were killed. Most of the evacuees stayed with their relatives, others went to government shelters and hundreds of people living in mountainous areas took refuge in caves prepared for emergencies.

On Monday, the Cuban Civil Defense lifted the stage of “Warning“to”WarningThe situation of the western provinces of Havana and Mayapeque due to the approach of the tropical storm.

It was expected that Elsa will cross Cuba on Monday night and then head to Floridawhere the ruler Ron DeSantis Declared a state of emergency in 15 provinces, including Miami County – DaddyOn June 24, an apartment building collapsed.

Today at 9:00 local time (13:00 GMT), the Elsa Center is located about 80 kilometers in the seas in the south of the country. Giron Beach, in the western province of Matanzas, according to the latest bulletin from the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet).

The hurricane is advancing at a speed of 22 kilometers per hour and according to forecasts, its intensity may increase slightly before it hits Cuban land.This afternoon, through Ciénaga de Zapata, on the southern coast of Matanzas, a province located about 100 kilometers from the capital.

The center said the storm is likely to weaken gradually as it passes over central Cuba. “After Elsa appears over the Straits of Florida and the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, a slight strengthening is possible”, He said.

It rained intermittently in the eastern provinces of Cuba all day Sunday When the storm passed south.

“So far, there has been a light and calm rain. There is no heavy rain. The streets are not overflowingHe said to Associated Press Yolanda Tabio, a 73-year-old retired living in Santiago. “I thought it could be worse.”

Rafael CarmenetSaid a local Red Cross volunteer who lives in front of the beach in Santa Cruz del Sur AP Over the phone: “We’ve had some showers. The sea didn’t interfere. It’s cloudy and stormy.”

The storm has killed one person in St. Lucia, according to the Caribbean Emergency Management Agency.. A 15-year-old boy and a 75-year-old woman died Saturday in separate events in the Dominican Republic. After the walls collapsed on it, according to a statement issued by the Emergency Operations Center.

Hurricane Elsa was a Category 1 hurricane as of Saturday morning, causing widespread damage to several eastern Caribbean islands on Friday as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. Among the worst affected is Barbados, where more than 1,100 people reported having their homes destroyed, of whom 62 collapsed.

As reported deciduous trees in haiti, It is particularly vulnerable to floods and landslides due to widespread erosion and deforestation. Three people were injured by falling trees, the Civil Protection Agency in Haiti said Sunday.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for western Cuba and the Florida Keys from Craig Key west to Dry Tortugas. The Cuban government has issued a hurricane warning for the provinces of Cienfuegos and Matanzas.

(with AP info)

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