All schools will be open Monday @MDCPS. We urge parents to send kids to school w/raincoats. Delays possible, due to forecasted rains. #Erika
— Alberto M. Carvalho (@LAUSDSup) August 29, 2015
By Alexandra Reboredo & Daylin Delgado
Among the chaos of school supply shopping and getting settled into the new school year, news of a tropical storm took over South Florida this week.
It was reported that at least 12 people were killed as a result of Erika on the island of Dominica by Friday morning. Erika has also left many people injured or missing.
The storm also brought along heavy rainfall and flooding, which caused damage to the island. The landslides alone killed about four people in Dominica.
As tropical storm Erika made its way towards the Dominican Republic, its wind speeds weakened from 65 mph to 50 mph.
Tropical storm warnings have been put into effect for the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Southeastern/Central Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Northwestern Bahamas, and Cuban provinces: Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, and Guantanamo.
Erika was moving west at about 21 mph. At this speed, South Florida was expected to catch outer rings of the storm Sunday afternoon through early Monday.
The last thing close to a hurricane that Florida has seen was tropical storm Isaac in August 2012 with winds reaching up to 60 mph in Miami-Dade.
“Florida has been lucky that we have not had a major hurricane hit us since 2005,” said Peter Sanchez, former FPL IT Command Center employee.
As of Friday morning, Florida governor Rick Scott called a state of emergency for all counties after hearing the impact of Erika in the Lesser Antilles. As of Saturday, it was announced that schools will be open in Miami-Dade County.
The National Hurricane Center announced that tropical storm Erika, is no longer a tropical storm. The storm dissipated in the environment near the Caribbean Sea, near eastern Cuba on Saturday morning.
Although the storm has weakened, Governor Scott is still advertising precaution.
“That is encouraging news, but [it] doesn’t mean we stop watching this weather system,” said Scott to CNN upon receiving updates of Erika moving towards the Gulf of Mexico.
As Erika shifts towards the west, the wave will hit the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, Florida and the Southeast will receive heavy rain, and possibly flooding throughout the first half of the week.
On Saturday, Erika’s wind speeds dropped to 35 mph. After passing through Florida, Erika may pick up and become a tropical storm once again. Miami-Dade County officials have been closely following Erika to take precautions necessary to maintain safety, such as opening shelters before the threat hits the mainland.
For updates on Erika, visit the school’s district website, their Facebook , or Twitter page, and stay tuned to local news stations.
