HAVANA – Tropical storm Elsa brought drenching rain and strong winds to Cuba today but left the island without major damage, as the United States National Hurricane Centre reported the storm was now making its way towards the Florida Keys.
Elsa has left a trail of destruction through the Caribbean, claiming at least three lives, and is expected to gain strength as it emerges off the coast of western Cuba this evening.
Over 100,000 people were evacuated from coastal or low-lying areas as the storm cut through the island, with Cuba’s meteorological institute Insmet reporting winds of up to 100kph .
By 9pm (0100 GMT), it was headed out towards the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said.
But Florida appeared set to avoid the worst of the storm as forecasters shifted its likely path westward, suggesting the southwest coast of the state will experience a glancing blow rather than the direct hit earlier expected.
In Surfside, on Florida’s east coast, workers overnight used explosives in the controlled demolition of the still-standing portion of a collapsed condo building – a job accelerated for fear Elsa might topple the structure.
But today, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told CNN that officials were “very hopeful” that, with Elsa’s current path, they would not have to pause search-and-rescue efforts after all. – AFP, July 6, 2021
