Elsa weakened to a tropical storm force but continued to plow toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday, a day after making landfall on the Caribbean island nations of Barbados and St. Vincent.
The long-term forecast track showed it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.
Officials in Florida have also warned potential impact of winds could hamper the search-and-rescue operations at the collapsed Surfside, Florida condominium.
“Our Department of Emergency Management is assuming that that will happen and making the necessary preparations to be able to protect a lot of the equipment. You could potentially have an event with the building as well,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed a local state of emergency Saturday, allowing the county to mobilize resources if necessary, as search and rescue operations continue in the rubble of a partially collapsed 12-story condominium building.
“There still is a lot of uncertainty about the path, but we are continuing to monitor closely and if there are any potential impacts to Miami-Dade we are ready,” Cava said during a news conference.
