Wind moves the grass and palm trees under a cloudy sky after the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Officials have issued a hurricane watch for parts of West Central Florida as Tropical Storm Elsa makes its way past Cuba. The storm is forecast to hit Florida Tuesday night while bringing heavy rain, strong winds and flooding to the state.
In response to the storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including Miami-Dade where crews continue to search for victims in the deadly condo building collapse. The governor urged Floridians to pay attention to weather advisories and to prepare for possible power outages.
“The reminder is in a storm like this, where you could see sustained power outages, if you do have a generator, you have to operate that generator so that the exhaust is outside,” DeSantis explained. “You can’t put it inside your house, you can’t put it inside your garage and, unfortunately, we have tragic incidences every year now where folks will run those generators in an enclosed area.”
Watch Live: Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers an update on Tropical Storm #Elsa.https://t.co/qJbQNLnEtm
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 6, 2021
Joe Biden also declared an emergency in Florida and has ordered federal assistance to help with response efforts. Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch has now been issued for the Georgia coast and parts of South Carolina as the storm is expected to make landfall there late Wednesday.
Source: One America News Network
