Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are under states of emergency as Tropical Storm Dorian tears through the Caribbean. Forecasters warn heavy rain could cause life-threatening floods.
Dorian hit Martinique earlier Tuesday, washing out roads on the island. The storm could become a hurricane before it reaches Puerto Rico late Wednesday. It’s also on track to hit the Bahamas and Florida.
As of 8 p.m. ET, Dorian’s center was located about 300 miles east-southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was moving west-northwest at 13 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 45 miles from the center.
National Hurricane Center
Puerto Rico to face tropical storm force winds
Tropical Storm Dorian has made a last-minute shift in its path Tuesday, threatening Puerto Rico with a direct hit as forecasters said it could reach near-hurricane strength in its approach to the U.S. territory.
The storm is forecast to pass over or hit near western and central Puerto Rico on Wednesday as authorities warned of landslides, widespread flooding and power outages.
“Practically the entire island will be under sustained tropical storm force winds,” said Roberto García, director of U.S. National Weather Service San Juan, during a press conference late Tuesday.
However, García said the forecast could change overnight, adding that late shifts occur with storms such as Dorian that do not have a well-defined center.
— The Associated Press
Puerto Rico residents still on edge after Maria
Puerto Rico residents are still dealing with post traumatic stress from Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island two years ago. Ahead of Dorian, some people are leaving. “I’m so insecure here with the power, the food, the security — so I’m leaving,” one person told CBS News.
Those who are staying and preparing are wondering if the government is prepared, too. CBS News spoke with Nick Russo, who leads the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s effort in Puerto Rico.
“The biggest problem last was when they lost the power they lost water. So one of the biggest things we’re preparing for is the support of PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) if we have a power outage. Right now, we don’t know,” Russo said.
CBS News
Before Hurricane Maria, the island had $21 million of inventory to replace downed power lines and restore electricity. The governor now said they have $141 million. But 30,000 homes are still covered in tarp and 1,000 roads remain impassable.
“We spent the last two years learning some lessons and making sure we’re much better prepared,” Russo said.
— David Begnaud reporting from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Florida search and rescue team heading to Puerto Rico
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is sending a 45-member team Puerto Rico before the storm reaches the island. The team is traveling to San Juan on Tuesday and will be on standby for rescue operations.
Andy Alvarez of Miami Dade Fire Rescue said the team should have an advantage because they spent time on the island after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. “We know the terrain, we know the main streets, thoroughfares to get around because we used them already, we have the contacts for the fuel,” he told CBS Miami.
Florida governor urges residents to prepare
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is urging residents to prepare before heavy rain hits the state. Local meteorologists are predicting 6-8 inches of rain in several areas this weekend as the storm approaches the Florida coast.
“Based on the current track of [Dorian], all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,” DeSantis tweeted Tuesday.
“Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT and local media for the latest updates on the forecast,” he added.
Watches and warnings in effect
A summary of watches and warnings in effect, via the National Hurricane Center.
- Hurricane watch: Puerto Rico
- Tropical storm warnings: Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Samana
- Tropical storm watch: Dominican Republic from Samana to Puerto Plata
A critical moment for Dorian
The future of Dorian largely hinges on one key factor called the Mona Passage. This 80-mile wide ocean corridor, which sits between the islands of Hispañiola and Puerto Rico, will determine if Dorian dissipates or perseveres. The storm is now located in the Caribbean, a small storm surrounded by a hostile environment of abundant dry air.
Regardless of impact, Wednesday night is a critical moment for the future of Dorian and its eventual impact on Florida. At that time, the core of Dorian will either move over Puerto Rico, over the Dominican Republic, or in between the two, through the narrow waters of the Mona Passage.
If the core of Dorian moves slightly west of there, over the center of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it will encounter towering mountainous terrain with elevations over 5,000 feet. That would destroy the storm’s structure and circulation, crippling the system as it enters the Bahamas. It would have a hard time putting the pieces back together and strengthening before its arrival this weekend in Florida.
However, if Dorian’s core threads the needle between the islands and passes over, or near, the narrow Mona Passage, then the storm’s core and circulation will remain structurally sound. In this scenario, the storm would be able to take advantage of the very warm water north of Puerto Rico, in the Turks & Caicos Islands and Bahamas, to potentially re-intensify.
A track over the island of Puerto Rico, to the east of the consensus forecast, would yield a scenario somewhere in the middle, where Dorians’ core would be weakened but not incapacitated.
— Jeff Berardelli
