Dozens of flights were canceled in the region, and the U.S. Coast Guard closed all ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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About 80% of the island was without electricity, and water supply was cut off, authorities said.
As South Florida keeps an eye on Tropical Storm Erika’s progress, one agency is preparing to move a lot of rain water fast if it comes our way.
Erika is also expected to get hit with some wind shear as she passes over Puerto Rico and into the Bahamas on her way towards Florida.
“Winds strengthen through the day Monday and persist through the count with gusts in the low to mid 50s”, the forecast continues. Flooding was reported on the island of Dominica, in the Lesser Antilles.
Erika was expected to produce an average of 3 to 5 inches of rain across portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic through Friday, offering some relief from recent drought conditions.
“We’re happy given the dry conditions, but it does highlight the need to be on alert”, he said, adding that heavy downpours could lead to flash floods. It could move inland over South Florida and mostly bring heavy rain.
Forecasters warn that quieter-than-average years in the past have been marked by some of the most destructive storms in history, such as Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which devastated south Florida.
Meanwhile in the Pacific, Ignacio strengthened into a hurricane.
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At the moment, Erika is still moving at 16 miles per hour, with maximum winds topping out at 50 miles per hour. Jimena was centered about 845 miles (1,365 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
