On Sunday afternoon, Tropical Storm Elsa was circling Cuba's southern provinces and dumping heavy rains after lashing Jamaican and Haitian coasts. It also whipped crops with its strong winds. Two deaths were reported from the Dominican Republic, and one from St. Lucia.Elsa was moving southwest of Piln in the Cuban Province of Granma. It was moving northwest at 14 miles an hour, according to the National Hurricane Center in its 5 p.m. advisory.Cuba has ordered evacuation of over 100,000 residents from low-lying and high-risk areas. The storm is expected to hit the island Monday. On Sunday, strong winds were reported in the southern regions of Granma, from Guantanamo up to Cabo Cruz.According to the advisory, a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Cuban provinces Camaguey and Granma.Elsa's slow speed will continue through Monday, followed by a turn towards the north-northwest Tuesday. The storm is expected to continue moving towards or over eastern Cuba on Sunday night, and then to approach central Cuba late Monday or early Tuesday. Elsa is expected move through central and western Cuba and then head towards the Florida Straits Monday. According to the advisory, maximum sustained winds are close to 60 mph with higher gustsAccording to the Jamaican Meteorological Service Division, more than 5 inches had fallen in Jamaica at least once as of Sunday morning. Video images also showed severe flooding in Kingston. According to the Division, the Tropical Storm Warning was still in effect because of the high risk of flooding and possible landlides.The storm caused at least two deaths in the Dominican Republic. Two people were killed when a wall collapsed during two separate incidents on Saturday. A second death was reported in St. Lucia, after Elsa struck the eastern Caribbean on Friday as a Category 1 hurricane.Continue the storyDespite all the bubbling and boiling, NOAA Hurricane Hunters didn't find Elsa stronger or more organized Sunday morning. There are only 24 hours before Cuba land shrinks Elsa. This morning, all signs are positive. pic.twitter.com/YZKNh9cXV9 Craig Setzer, @CraigSetzer July 4, 2021The storm's center was moving towards northeastern Jamaica on Sunday morning, before moving into eastern Cuba. Jamaica's Meteorological Service advised the public that heavy rains, as well as thunderstorms, would continue to fall across most parishes.According to the Meteorological Service, flash flooding is possible in floor-prone and low-lying areas today. There are 3 to 6 inches of rain forecast. In the next 6-12 hour, strong winds reaching near tropical storm force are also possible.Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and the police force reported that they had received reports of roads being blocked in Kingston, Portmore, and St. Thomas parish.The disaster office reminded the public to remain indoors.Elsa was expected to approach Cuba Sunday afternoon. There were reports of moderate rain and sustained winds up to 40 mph in the southern areas, such as Cabo Cruz, which is located at the western end Granma's Granma province.Cuba ordered the evacuations of thousands of people from central and southern areas in order to reduce the risk of flooding and landslides.According to Cubadebate, families who live in Granmas, low-lying communities in communities like Madresita and Las Mangas were relocated to 37,000 shelters.According to the report, 78,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas in Holguin to shelters and to their families in safer areas. The report stated that more than 35,000 people were evacuated from the coasts of Guantanamo's easternmost province to safer areas.Concern was expressed by authorities about large numbers of people gathered at shelters, as Cuba struggles to contain an increase in COVID-19 infection. This week has been the deadliest since the outbreak of the pandemic. The island exceeded the threshold of 3,000 deaths per hour on Wednesday, and registered 20 deaths in one day on Thursday. It is also the highest number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic, which was also a record for the island with 11 million inhabitants. According to the Public Health Ministry, Cuba had 3,475 confirmed cases and 15 dead on Saturday.According to Insmet, heavy rains fell in Cuba's eastern regions on Sunday morning and into the afternoon. The Hydraulic Resources Institute reported that 11 reservoirs used for water supply in Santiago de Cuba, which is home to the second-most populous city on the island, were overflowing at around 80% capacity by midday Sunday.Elsa left Hispaniola to go, but authorities in the Dominican Republic placed 15 provinces on a green alert due to concerns about flooding in rivers or other bodies of water. According to the Dominican Republics Emergency Opera Center, a new high pressure system will dominate meteorological conditions.A Sunday morning report. Dominican authorities reported that 51 homes were partially damaged and one had been destroyed by Elsa.A number of emergency management officials advised vessels small to medium in size to stay close to the coasts due to abnormal ocean conditions.Initial reports indicate that the storm in Haiti had less impact than expected and didn't cause as much damage as the storm in the eastern Caribbean. The storm downed trees and damaged power lines in Barbados, but it did not cause roof damage to more then 550 homes.According to Jerry Chandler, head of the Office of Civil Protection emergency response agency, Haiti's agriculture was hit hard by the wind gusts.He said that there were strong winds overnight. There has been no reported serious damage.
