Tropical Storm Elsa makes landfall in Florida
- Published
Florida residents have been warned they may have to evacuate coastal areas
Tropical Storm Elsa, which has weakened from the first hurricane of the season, has made landfall on the west coast of Florida, unleashing rain and flooding.
Over 20,000 Florida residents are without power, and warnings are in effect for millions in the region.
Elsa battered Cuba on Monday with mudslides and floods.
Earlier it tore across the Dominican Republic and St Lucia, killing at least three people and damaging hundreds of buildings.
After passing across Florida, Elsa is expected to hit the US states of Georgia and South Carolina.
Commercial flights were suspended at Tampa International Airport
At 14:00 local time (18:00 GMT) the centre of the storm was about 105 miles west of the city of Jacksonville, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an update.
Maximum wind speeds were 50mph (85km/h), the NHC said, and the storm was moving at 14mph.
Elsa became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Friday before weakening to a tropical storm. After leaving Cuba, it briefly regained hurricane force over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but was then downgraded again as it approached the Florida coast.
Tampa airport had suspended commercial flights scheduled for Wednesday morning, but has since re-opened after the storm passed.
Florida's Lt Gov Jeanette Nunez warned residents of possible power cuts and urged them to stockpile supplies of food and water. She said emergency shelters were available if needed.
"If you are asked to evacuate, please leave," she added.
In the town of Surfside, near Miami, authorities brought forward the demolition of a partially collapsed apartment block on Tuesday for fear that Elsa might topple it.
So far, 46 people are known to have died when Champlain Towers South collapsed on 24 June. Over 90 people are still missing. Officials say the search operation had to be paused temporarily on Wednesday, due to the storm.
Late last week, Elsa carved a swathe of destruction in the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic, at least two people died on Saturday when walls collapsed in high winds.
One person also died on the island of St Lucia, while Barbados reported damage to hundreds of homes.
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