Cuba and Florida prepare for Tropical Storm Helene's impact

The U.S. National Weather Service reported that Tropical Storm Helene will cause mudslides, flooding and major hurricane-like conditions in Cuba. It is then expected to reach major hurricane status on Thursday when it reaches Florida with a life-threatening ocean tide.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Helene was moving northwest at a speed of 45 mph with sustained winds up to 72 kph.

Forecasters say Helene is expected to strengthen rapidly over the warm waters of Gulf of Mexico, resulting in a major hurricane with winds up to 115 mph.

State and national authorities in the U.S. warned of damaging wind and walls of seawater that were driven inland and inundated low-lying coastal regions of Florida's west coast and panhandle as early as on Wednesday.

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, declared an emergency in many counties. Some regions were already under mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday, ahead of the expected coastal flooding.

White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards stated that President Joe Biden was briefed about the storm and in contact with local officials.

Edwards stated that "federal resources and personnel, including food, water, generators and search and recovery teams, as well as power restoration and search and rescue teams, are all prepositioned."

CUBA RAINS

As sheets of rain lashed western Cuba Tuesday, the authorities closed schools, closed ports, and recalled fishing boats.

Farmers scrambled for thousands of tonnes to ensure they had enough tobacco, a prized raw material used in fine Cuban cigars.

The western third of Cuba was under a hurricane watch, and there were tropical storm warnings. Havana's capital is expected to experience heavy rains and moderate winds.

Residents in Cuba, already suffering from an economic crisis and severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine, defended their homes and farms before the storm.

Yoli Gigato is a Cuban woman who lives in Mantua on the westernmost tip of the island. She said that she and her family were preparing for the worst. They had sealed their windows and sandbagged her roof.

"Our experience with hurricanes has been terrible," Gigato recalled, recalling Hurricane Ian's direct hit two years earlier. "We pray that the damage will not be so severe."

The storm's track also crosses the northern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Under a threatening sky, hotel workers and fishermen in Cancun removed sunbeds from the beach.

Global warming, say climate scientists, has led to an increase in hurricanes occurring more frequently and being more severe.

The weather service says that the storm will move north over Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky later this week, bringing flash flooding and urban flooding.

As the storm approached, U.S. producers of oil have evacuated staff from platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico.

(source: Reuters)