Damage from Tropical Storm Erika shown in Puerto Rico. (Instagram.com/elnuevodia)
(SOURCE) As Tropical Storm Erika inches closer to Hispaniola, Florida Gov. Rick Scott wasted no time urging residents to prepare, declaring a state of emergency for all counties Friday morning.
Erika has already turned deadly. At least 25 people have been killed on the small island of Dominica, officials told local media Friday morning.
The Ministry of Public Works told Trinidad and Tobago TV station CCN TV6 that the death toll has risen above two dozen after the storm left severe flooding and triggered mudslides on Thursday.
“Erika has really, really visited us with a vengeance,” Claude Weeks, assistance police superintendent, told the Associated Press during a phone interview. Because many roads and bridges are impassable, crews are trying to reach isolated communities via the ocean, he added.
Among those confirmed dead were a blind elderly man and two children in southeastern Dominica, and another man was killed in the country’s capital of Roseau, the report said.
About 20 others remain missing on the tiny Lesser Antilles island that’s home to about 72,000, and many homes have been destroyed in the storm, the AP also reported.
“The situation is grim. It is dangerous,” Ian Pinard, Dominica’s communications minister, told the AP.
About 80 percent of the island was left without electricity, and the water supply was cut off. Trees and light poles were strewn across streets, and several buildings sustained damage, including torn off scaffolding. AP also reports the main airport was closed because of flooding, with water rushing over at least one small plane.
“The capital city is a wreck. It is a sight to behold. It’s a disaster,” policewoman Teesha Alfred told the AP about Roseau.
Social media users posted images and video of a raging Roseau River Thursday morning as several bands of heavy rain pounded the small island nation.
The Associated Press reports that governments in San Juan, Puerto Rico, have ordered schools, airports and even casinos to close as they begin to prepare shelters.
Schools and government offices in St. Maarten will be closed Thursday, and officials asked casinos, restaurants and other businesses to close by midnight on Wednesday. They warned that they may temporarily suspend power and water service as the storm continues to approach.
Government offices in the U.S. Virgin Islands will be closed and all airports in the U.S. Virgin Islands will be closed until Friday, Gov. Kenneth Map told the AP.
Boats docked at Shell Beach Marina on Antigua’s north coast have been removed from the water since Saturday, with people not taking chances as Erika approaches, marina employee Caroline Davy told the Associated Press.
Seaborne Airlines and LIAT, based in Puerto Rico and Antigua respectively, have canceled more than two dozen flights through Friday due to the storm. Officials in Puerto Rico said they will suspend ferry transportation between the main island and the sister islands of Culebra and Vieques on Thursday.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands.
Florida Prepares
The State of Florida Emergency Operations Center has activated to level two in preparation for possible impacts from Tropical Storm Erika.
“We are preparing the protective and responsive measures we will need if the storm continues to develop out of an abundance of caution,” said FDEM Director Bryan W. Koon.
Boat owners and area marinas in South Florida have begun to make their own preparations. Sailfish Marina dock master Austin Peters told WPTV that a handful of captains have already moved their boats to safer areas. According to him, if there is a hurricane warning, all boats are required to leave the marina, which can be difficult because many of the boat owners live out of state.
“Usually some people will go south or north to avoid the storm, or they will go to a dry dock where they will be lifted out of the water,” said Peters.
Boaters will be encouraged to add lines to their boats to make sure they’re secured. The marina also plans to shut down gas and water lines if the storm begins to pose a larger threat.
FEMA recommends that, in addition to having a hurricane kit, residents should stock up a three-day supply of food and water.
A properly stocked hurricane kit should consist of:
- Non-perishable food, such as energy bars
- Batteries
- Radio, battery operated or hand cranked
- Cellphone charger
- LED flashlight for each member of the family
- Lighter
- First aid kit
- 1 gallon of water for every member of the family
weather.com associate editor Ada Carr also contributed to this report.
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