Last Updated on November 7, 2020, 7:40 AM AST by Anthony Morris
At least 100 people lost their lives and thousands evacuated after Tropical Depression Eta hit Central America, bringing devastating landslides and flooding homes.
The storm has now re-entered the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to pass over Cuba on Saturday night into Sunday morning and head towards south Florida or the Florida Keys late Sunday.
The storm has winds of 35 mph currently but is forecast that it will become a tropical storm again on Friday evening, with further strengthening to occur likely through early Sunday.
Tropical storm watches are issued from Bonita Beach southward on the west coast and for south Florida from Jupiter Inlet southwards on the east coast and the Florida Keys.
A tropical storm watch was issued by The Bahamas for the northwestern Bahamas, which includes the Andros Island, Abacos, Berry Islands, Grand Bahama Island, Bimini, Eleuthera and New Providence.
Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Mayor, declared a state of emergency on Friday as the county is monitoring the storm’s track.
According to a county government news release, the Miami-Dade area might experience heavy rainfall and gusty winds through the weekend.
Rainfall amounts between Friday and Monday would range between 6 to 10 inches.
Gimenez said that they are looking at experiencing heavy rainfall through Monday and possible tropical storm force winds beginning Sunday.
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday that in the Guatemalan village of Quejá, flooding and landslides caused by the storm left around 100 people dead and over 150 homes buried.
The scenes out of the country were heartbreaking. People were leaving their flooded homes, walking to safety in waist-deep water, some carrying the few belongings which they could save.
In Puerto Barrios, a man was carrying a dog to safety in the floodwaters, while some people were sitting on higher ground outside their flooded homes.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
