Florida braces for Isaac fury
Source: Agencies |
August 26, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TROPICAL Storm Isaac emerged over warm Caribbean waters yesterday slightly weaker but ready to regroup after dumping torrential rains on Haiti, where thousands of people remain homeless more than two years after a devastating earthquake.
The storm was forecast to sweep over eastern Cuba yesterday and strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Florida Keys on a track toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Lashing rains and high winds were reported along parts of Haiti's southern coast and in the capital Port-au-Prince, where over 350,000 survivors of the 2010 earthquake are still living in fragile tent and tarpaulin camps.
Intermittent power outages affected the greater Port-au-Prince area early yesterday as Isaac moved across hilly inland areas of the severely deforested Caribbean country.
The center of Isaac was about 150 kilometers east-southeast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, early yesterday morning, the United States National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane warning was already in effect in the Florida Keys, but the NHC said it was extending this to part of the southwest coast of Florida.
Isaac's march across the Caribbean comes as US Republicans prepare to gather in Tampa, on Florida's central Gulf Coast, for tomorrow's start of their national convention ahead of the November presidential election.
The convention is expected to proceed as planned but Gulf of Mexico operators began shutting down offshore oil and gas rigs on Friday ahead of the storm.
The biggest immediate concern was heavily deforested Haiti, where Isaac's rains could trigger deadly flash flooding and mudslides.
The storm was forecast to sweep over eastern Cuba yesterday and strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Florida Keys on a track toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Lashing rains and high winds were reported along parts of Haiti's southern coast and in the capital Port-au-Prince, where over 350,000 survivors of the 2010 earthquake are still living in fragile tent and tarpaulin camps.
Intermittent power outages affected the greater Port-au-Prince area early yesterday as Isaac moved across hilly inland areas of the severely deforested Caribbean country.
The center of Isaac was about 150 kilometers east-southeast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, early yesterday morning, the United States National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane warning was already in effect in the Florida Keys, but the NHC said it was extending this to part of the southwest coast of Florida.
Isaac's march across the Caribbean comes as US Republicans prepare to gather in Tampa, on Florida's central Gulf Coast, for tomorrow's start of their national convention ahead of the November presidential election.
The convention is expected to proceed as planned but Gulf of Mexico operators began shutting down offshore oil and gas rigs on Friday ahead of the storm.
The biggest immediate concern was heavily deforested Haiti, where Isaac's rains could trigger deadly flash flooding and mudslides.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
