Tropical Storm Erika devastates the island of Dominica

Officials said Erika has degenerated into a trough of low pressure, with remnants of the storm’s center located near the north coast of eastern Cuba.

Meteorologist Jeff Masters said the mountainous island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, “has saved us so many times in the past”, thanks to its 10,000-feet peaks.

The Hurricane Center said the center of Erika will move over portions of eastern Cuba on Saturday and move across central Cuba Saturday night.

Erika’s heavy rains set off floods and mudslides in Dominica that are now blamed for at least a dozen deaths, the government said. Erika dumped voluminous rainfall in parts of the Caribbean including over 12 inches in Dominica, where landslides killed at least 20 people. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit asked for worldwide support for the damages to the tiny island.

Erika brought 15 inches of rain to the island before toppling trees and power lines in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Several persons have been reported dead or missing and there has been major damage to infrastructure and utilities in many communities.

So far, no evacuations have been ordered, but officials are clearing storm drains of debris, doing maintenance on stormwater pumps and urging residents to gather extra food, water and medicines, just in case flooding happens.

A state of emergency has been declared in the US state of Florida, where the storm is expected on Sunday. However, The Weather Channel warned Floridians should still prepare for the possibility of impacts from the tropical storm.

“The Saturday 8 a.m. National Hurricane Center Update on Tropical Storm * a class=”_58cn” href=”https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/erika?source=feed_text&story_id=885086228243731″ data-ft=”{“tn”:”*N”,”type”:104}” *‪Erika shows the storm dissipating and remains poorly organized.

“Concern begins late tonight and lasts through Monday, possibly into Tue”, the National Weather Service’s Miami office said. Again, while current estimates have Erika as a weak Tropical Storm (winds 40-45mph) upon landfall, it’s important to remember that flooding could still pose a threat even if the winds with the storm aren’t particularly strong.