The location and expected path of Hurricane Elsa.Hurricane Elsa made landfall Friday in the Caribbean, bringing strong winds and the possibility of storm surges.According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), the category 1 storm sustained maximum winds of 75 miles (120 km) per hour. It moved northwest towards St Vincent and Grenadines in eastern Caribbean at midday.According to the center, Elsa could cause a tidal surge up to three feet higher than normal in the Windward Islandsthe eastern chain that includes Barbadosand St. Lucia. It could also bring up to four feet west on the southern coast Hispaniola which is made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.Elsa could bring rain, storm surges, and strong winds to the Florida Keys, and other parts of the Florida Peninsula, early next week. However, this will depend on how the storm behaves this weekend, when it hits large Caribbean islands.Surfside, Florida, is facing severe weather conditions due to Hurricane Irma. It's trying to rescue survivors from a condo building that has collapsed.Elsa is expected to move towards the southern coast of Hispaniola Saturday. Haitian authorities expressed concern Friday about their inability to provide emergency supplies such as food and water.The government had a lot of emergency resources, but they were not used for another situation: the evacuation of thousands in Port-au-Prince as a result of gang violence.Many of these people are staying at schools, gyms and other public buildings. Some of the supplies that were earmarked for hurricane season have been used by evacuees. Jerry Chandler, director, of the Haitian civil defense agency, stated that many of them are using the facilities.Authorities declared a Friday weather alert as the hurricane approached.Authorities plan to send emergency supplies to the coast that is most at risk. However, heavily armed gangs control a portion of the only road from the capital to south and don't let anything through.Chandler stated that in order to reach these areas, "we must go through red zones", referring to territory held by gangs.Hurricane Matthew in 2016 killed over 500 people in southern Haiti, causing damage of nearly $2 billion.The US center stated that Elsa will move towards Jamaica and parts of eastern Cuba by Sunday.Continue reading Tropical Storm Dorian gains steam and heads for the Caribbean2021 AFP
