Cuba evacuates nearly 2 lakh people ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa

As Tropical Storm Elsa approaches, Cuba has evacuated 180,000 people. Most of those evacuated went to relatives' homes, while some people sheltered at government facilities.

Havana: Cuba evacuated 180,000 people amid fears Sunday (July 5) that Tropical Storm Elsa could unleash heavy flooding after battering several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people. The Cuban government had opened shelters and moved to protect sugarcane and cocoa crops ahead of the storm. Most of those evacuated went to relatives' homes, while some people sheltered at government facilities. Hundreds living in mountainous areas took refuge in natural caves that had been prepared for the emergency. The storm's next target was Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 15 counties, including in Miami-Dade County where the high-rise condominium building collapsed last week. On Sunday (July 4) afternoon, Elsa was located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo Cruz, Cuba and was heading northwest at 14 mph (22 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The center said the storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves across Cuba on Monday (July 5). "After Elsa emerges over the Florida Straits and the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, some slight restrengthening is possible,'' it said.