Disasters & Accidents

T.S. Elsa blamed for 2 deaths in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, Jul 3 (EFE).- Two residents of the Dominican Republic died Saturday as a result of the effects of Tropical Storm Elsa, the country’s emergency operations director told Efe.

A 15-year-old boy in the southwestern town of Bahoruco was killed when a wall collapsed due to the wind and rain, Juan Manuel Mendez said.

In the southern town of Bani, a wall gave way and crushed a woman of 75.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) ripped the roofs off of homes in various areas of the country, Mendez said, while adding that it was too soon to offer a comprehensive evaluation of the damage.

Dominican authorities placed the entire coast under tropical storm warnings and flood watches were in effect throughout much of the interior.

Elsa, which became first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season on Friday, lost some of its punch as it approached Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

As of 2100 GMT Saturday, according to the US National Hurricane Center, the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located roughly 210 km (130 mi) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and 310 km (195 mi) of Kingston, Jamaica.

The storm was moving west-northwest at 44 km/h (28 mph), the NHC said.

Elsa is expected to pass over Cuba and the Florida Keys before making a northward turn into the Gulf of Mexico. EFE mmv/dr

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