Storm no longer a threat, Erika dissipates to tropical low

At 930 AM EDT (1330 UTC), the remnants of Erika were estimated near latitude 21.5 North, longitude 75.9 West. The remnants are moving toward the west-northwest near 22 miles per hour (35 km/h).

Florida once again keeps its eyes on the tropics, as another storm barrels toward the Caribbean.

A large navigation buoy hit by strong winds and waves, floats near… Scott is scheduled to give Florida residents an update on the state’s preparations during a press conference Saturday in Naples.

The Hurricane Center made its decision based on observations in Cuba, where the storm is passing, satellite images and reports from the U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunter plane.

“The trend is for a gradual lessening”, he said.

The storm’s passage came exactly 10 years after Hurricane Katrina battered parts the southern United States, devastating New Orleans in particular. The only thing standing in its way were the mountain in Hispaniola.

Heavier-than-normal summer rains in the Tampa Bay area saturated and it wouldn’t take much more rain to trigger local flooding in some parts of the region.

Some rain would be welcome in South Florida, where there’s been a drought. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

On the previous day when NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Erika, infrared data still showed that the storm had powerful thunderstorms with very cold cloud top temperatures near -63F/-53C. Floods swamped villages, destroyed homes and wiped out roads.

Meanwhile, emergency managers aren’t taking any chances.

Santo Domingo.- Emergency Operations Center (COE) director Juan Manuel Mendez said that tropical storm Erika left 7,345 people displaced and 823 houses damaged in the Dominican Republic.

The declaration ahead of time gives wide latitude to Scott and other state officials to prepare for the storm.

New Orleans will mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday, with solemn memorials for the more than 1,800 victims as well as boisterous musical performances to commemorate the city’s resilience.

Tropical Storm Kilo is forecast to reach hurricane strength and pass Hawaii to the west.

Heavy rain and potential flooding continues to be the biggest concern with Erika’s remnants.

According to officials, the storm has killed at least 20 people, with at least 31 people reported missing.