Cuba evacuates 180,000 as Tropical Storm Elsa nears
- Cuban government opens shelters and moves to protect sugar cane and cocoa crops
- Storm’s next target was Florida, where governor declared a state of emergency in 15 counties
Cuba evacuated 180,000 people amid fears on Sunday that Tropical Storm Elsa could unleash heavy flooding after battering several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people.
The Cuban government had opened shelters and moved to protect sugar cane and cocoa crops ahead of the storm. Most of those evacuated went to relatives’ homes, while some people sheltered at government facilities. Hundreds living in mountainous areas took refuge in natural caves that had been prepared for the emergency.
The storm’s next target was Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including in Miami-Dade County where the high-rise condominium building collapsed last week.
On Sunday afternoon, Elsa was located about 65km (40 miles) south-southeast of Cabo Cruz, Cuba and was heading northwest at 22km/h (14mph). It had maximum sustained winds of about 95km/h, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.
The centre said the storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves across Cuba on Monday.