Cuba evacuates 70,000 as Elsa continues its approach

Tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of Cuba and Jamaica, as well as areas in the US state of Florida.

Cuba has evacuated 70,000 people in the island’s southern region amid concerns Tropical Storm Elsa could cause severe flooding after three people were killed across the Caribbean in the storm’s wake. A tropical storm warning was in effect for several Cuban provinces, including Havana, as well as Jamaica, the Florida Keys and Florida’s southwest coast, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday morning. The Cuban government has opened shelters and moved to protect sugarcane and cocoa crops ahead of the storm. Most of those evacuated went to relatives’ homes, while about 23,000 people sheltered at government facilities.