PURULHA, Guatemala (AP) — A strengthened Tropical Storm Eta made landfall on Cuba early Sunday and had its sights set on the southern tip of Florida after leaving dozens dead and over 100 missing in Central America, where it hit last week as a major hurricane.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay.
The Hurricane Center said Eta was located about 90 miles west of Canagua, Cuba, Sunday morning and was moving north at 14 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph. The system was expected to approach the Florida Keys and south Florida late Sunday or Monday.
Eta breached Cuba even as searchers in Guatemala were still digging for people believed buried by a massive, rain-fueled landslide. Authorities say 15 people are confirmed dead and at least 109 are missing in Guatemala, many of them in the landslide in San Cristobal Verapaz.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday for eight counties at the end of the state as Eta approached, urging residents to stock up on supplies. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas.
Miami-Dade County declared a state of emergency Friday night and also warned a flood watch would be in effect through Tuesday night.
Further south in the Keys, officials were monitoring the storm closely, but had no plans yet to evacuate tourists or residents. They urged residents to secure their boats and encouraged visitors to consider altering plans until Eta had passed.
“Residents need to monitor this storm and be prepared for high tropical storm force sustained winds and hurricane strength gusts,” said Shannon Wiener, Monroe County Emergency Management Director.