As tropical storm Elsa approached, Cuban fishermen pulled their boats to safety.Tropical storm Elsa brought heavy rains and strong winds to Cuba on Monday, but it left the island unaffected. The US National Hurricane Center reported that the storm was moving towards the Florida Keys.Elsa left a trail that has caused destruction in the Caribbean, killing at least three people. It is expected to rise stronger as it approaches western Cuba on Monday evening.As the storm swept through the island, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from the coastal and low-lying areas. Cuba's meteorological institute Insmet reported winds up to 100 km per hour.It was heading towards the Gulf of Mexico by 9 PM (0100 GMT) authorities stated.Florida seemed to be in a good position to avoid the worst storm. Forecasters moved the storm's likely path westward. This suggests that the southwest coast of Florida will not take the direct hit they had expected.Surfside, Florida's east coast saw workers use explosives overnight to demolish a portion of a condo building that had collapsed. This was done in order to prevent Elsa from destroying the structure.On Monday, Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County Mayor, told CNN that officials are "very optimistic" that Elsa's current course will mean that they won't have to stop search-and rescue efforts.Photographers captured the sunset in Havana before Tropical Storm Elsa passed.States of alarmOn Tuesday, the storm is expected to pass the Florida Keysthe archipelago located at the state's southern tip.In an 8pm update (0000 GMT), the National Hurricane Center stated that Elsa sustained maximum winds of 50 miles/hour (85 km/h) while it was moving across Cuba at 13 miles per hours.As thousands fled their homes, alarms were raised in Havana, Mayabeque, and Artemisa provinces.Prime Minister Manuel Marrero stated, "Protecting ourselves against Elsa can't mean letting down our guard against Covid."Havana shops were closed and Havana drivers could only drive civil defense vehicles.According to the NHC, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of rain on parts of the island.The location and expected path of Elsa.It stated that "significant flash flooding and mudslides will occur," adding that Insmet warned that the storm's effects could persist for the next few days.Two people died in Elsa in Dominican Republic, and another in Santa Lucia when it approached the Caribbean earlier in its approach.Late Sunday, Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba's President, stated via Twitter that there was no damage to agricultural crops.Elsa was the first hurricane in the Atlantic season, and it strengthened to tropical storm status on Saturday.It was the first time that a fifth named storm, which usually does not arrive before August, had ever struck the region.Cuba evacuates 180,000 when Tropical Storm Elsa approaches2021 AFP
