Hurricane Elsa Damages Homes and Knocks Down Trees in Barbados

Elsa, the first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin, caused severe damage to homes and downed trees as it passed through the Caribbean territory of Barbados. It is approaching St. Vincent and the Grenadines with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. 

RELATED:

Cuba Monitors the Evolution of Tropical Storm Elsa

In a report issued before noon on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that this hurricane is moving west-northwest at about 29 miles per hour and is expected to continue in that direction for the next two days. Elsa will possibly lose some speed by Sunday night.

In the southern part of Barbados, this hurricane caused roofs to be blown off, fences to fall, and trees to be blown down. In the central part of the island, Saint George municipality suffered power and water outages as part of a precautionary protocol planned by the Barbados Water Authority.

"We are receiving reports of damage throughout the island. We are also receiving reports of power outages. The utility company is unable to provide assistance at this time. Please be careful, our primary concern is the protection of people's lives," Interior Minister Wilfred Abrahams said.

The Barbados Weather Service forecast that the island could receive six to eight inches of rain today. If Elsa continues on its current track, it will move away from the Windward Islands and move across the eastern Caribbean.

On Saturday, Elsa will move near the southern coast of the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. On Sunday, the hurricane will be near Jamaica and then head toward central and western Cuba.

Hurricane Elsa has also caused some problems in the supply of basic services in Grenada. The National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) indicated that the difficult weather conditions have generated blockages in the dams. This has affected water systems in parishes such as St. Andrew and St. John.

"The current flow makes it impossible for employees to traverse rivers to have dams unblocked. Rest assured that once the all-clear is given, efforts will be made to have systems restored to facilitate distribution," reported Now Grenada.