Tropical storm Eta, which is getting stronger, reached the southern islands of Florida in the USA late last night after passing through Central America and Mexico, where it left dozens of dead and over 100 missing.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued hurricane and storm warnings for the southern islands and the Gulf of Florida.
Officials in Florida have closed beaches, Covid testing sites, halted public transportation and urged people to stay off the streets. Several shelters are also open in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in RVs and low-lying areas.
Eta had maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour last night and was centered about 45 kilometers east of Marathon, Florida and 115 kilometers east of Key West. The storm is moving west-northwest at a speed of 22 kilometers per hour.
The storm led to swollen rivers and flooded coastal areas in Cuba, where 25.000 people were evacuated, but there were no reports of casualties.
It previously hit Guatemala, where rescuers are still digging for people believed to have been buried by a large landslide. Authorities in Guatemala yesterday raised the confirmed death toll to 27, while more than 100 are missing, many in the San Cristobal Verapas landslide. About 60.000 people were evacuated in Guatemala.
At least 20 people were also killed in southern Mexico and local officials in Honduras reported 21 dead, although the national disaster agency confirmed only eight deaths.
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