When will Storm Elsa hit Florida and which counties have been declared in emergency?

Florida was preparing this Sunday for the tropical storm Elsa, which, according to meteorologists from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), will be near the Keys on Monday, will advance over the west coast on Tuesday and then will cross the peninsula in a northeast direction.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked Floridians this Sunday to be prepared for the rains, winds and storm surge of Elsa and stay safe.

DeSantis has declared Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties in emergency, to facilitate the disbursement of resources if necessary.

In Miami-Dade, even though it’s out of the trajectory cone, Elsa’s presence in the Caribbean has forced to advance the demolition of a partially collapsed building and interrupted the search for victims of the 121 people who are still missing.

For now the death toll rises to 24.

The NHC issued a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys, from Craig to Dry Tortugas, and a watch from Craig Key to Ocean Reef, as well as for Florida Bay and the west coast of the state from Flamingo to Bonita Beach.

In the Keys and in cities on the west coast, sandbags have already begun to be distributed to prevent flood damage and other measures have been taken for the same purpose, as is the case in Tampa, where Elsa could impact and a management center has already been activated. of emergencies.

Elsa will arrive in Florida after crossing Cuba on Monday, according to the NHC.

At MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters of the Sixth Refueling Wing, the planes have been ordered to be taken to another base in Wichita, Kansas, to avoid damage.

The Coast Guard has put Key West ports in Yankee condition due to the expectation of sustained winds of 35 miles per hour (56 km / h) and gusts of up to 43 mph (69 km / h) generated by Elsa that can arrive in 24 hours.

These ports and facilities are currently open to all commercial traffic and all transfer operations can continue as long as Yankee remains in effect.

In Key West, all commercial ocean-going vessels and ocean-going barges of 300 gross tons or more must make plans to leave port.

Ships wishing to remain in port must submit a written safe mooring plan and request permission.

Vessels bound for South Florida are advised to seek an alternative destination and pleasure vessels seeking safe harbor.

Similar measures are in effect at other Florida ports.

Elsa, which became the first hurricane in 2021, has already affected the Lesser Antilles, the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) and today it is targeting Jamaica and Cuba.

Before Elsa, tropical storms Ana, Bill, Claudette and Danny have formed this year.

Meteorologists predict that it will be a cyclonic season above normal but without reaching 2020, which broke all historical records.