After its destructive journey through Central America, tropical storm “Eta” has now reached the Florida coast. With wind speeds of 100 kilometers per hour, it is already causing the first floods and power outages. In parts of the US state, the state of emergency applies. The tropical storm “Eta” now threatens parts of the US state Florida. The US hurricane center in Miami warned of heavy rains and lethal flooding in parts of the southeast of the peninsula. At around 4 a.m. (CET), the center of the storm was around 60 kilometers east of Marathon, part of the Keys, the chain of islands on the southern tip of Florida. With wind speeds of 100 kilometers per hour, it moved northwest towards the mainland.
More than 150 deaths feared Hurricane “Eta” leaves chaos in Central America
The first effects of the storm were already noticeable in Florida. The harbingers of “Eta” were violent winds and rains. As a result, according to the regional utility Florida Power & Light, electricity went out in tens of thousands of households. In Miami and Fort Lauderdale, there have also been isolated floods, as TV pictures showed. Meteorologists expect the storm to swell further and reach hurricane strength as it approaches Florida. A tropical storm is considered a hurricane when its wind speeds reach 120 kilometers per hour. The NHC warned of dangerous flash floods and gusts of wind. The hurricane center predicted that “Eta” would reach the Florida Keys island chain at the southern tip of the state by Monday morning (local time). For the south of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis had already declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Coronavirus test centers were temporarily closed, the authorities opened emergency shelters. Schools in the Florida Keys should remain closed on Monday.
On Sunday “Eta” moved over Cuba with heavy rains. The exact extent of the damage in the hardest hit provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila and Granma is not yet known. In Central America, “Eta” hit the coast of Nicaragua as a hurricane last Tuesday. Later it weakened to a tropical storm (less than 118 kilometers per hour). According to estimates, more than 200 people died in Central America and Mexico as a result of floods and landslides.