Erika puts us at risk of flooding
Projections have storm veering southwest
South Florida prepared for the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Erika this weekend, although the projected path of the storm continued to veer toward the southwestern part of the state.
The region remains within the storm’s possible routes as it heads north, with Erika expected to come closest to South Florida late Sunday and early Monday. The Gulf coast is currently at the center of the projected path. While the storm could brush South Florida, the most recent forecast predicts its intensity will diminish sharply, with winds of just 40 miles an hour, barely tropical storm strength.
But the winds could extend up to 140 miles from the storm’s center and the rain bands even farther, which means the region could still see significant flooding.
The uncertainty about the storm’s path has
made it difficult to plan for school closings, flood control, travel and other activities.
School districts have made no decisions yet on whether classes will be held Monday. To check updates for Palm Beach County schools go to www.palmbeachschools.org or @PBCSD on Twitter. For Broward County, go to www.browardschools.com or @browardschools on Twitter. For Miami-Dade schools, visit storms.dadeschools.net or follow @MDCPS on Twitter.
Florida Power & Light Co. has mobilized more than 5,500 employees and contractors to restore power. The company plans to bring in an additional 1,700 workers from other utilities Saturday and Sunday.
Palm Beach County courthouses will be closed Monday, other than the one on Gun Club Road, which will be open for first appearances.
Broward County Transit officials said they would pull county buses from the roads if winds hit a sustained level of 39 miles an hour. Tri-Rail commuter trains will continue running until sustained winds reach 35 mph, when gates will be secured or removed. If service is suspended, it will take about two days for commuter trains to start running again as gates are replaced. Updates will be posted on tri-rail.com or you can call the train’s customer service line at 1-800-874-7245 to hear a recorded message.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reported 23 delayed and 11 canceled flights from various airports because of the storm. Miami International Airport reported six cancellations.
The Coast Guard announced that drawbridges in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties will be locked down at 8 p.m. Saturday. It set initial shipping restrictions at Port Miami, Port Everglades, Port of Palm Beach and several other terminals and facilities. And it advised operators of small boats to seek safe harbor.
The storm comes during a period of seasonal high tides in South Florida called king tides, which can flood streets in low-lying coastal neighborhoods, even in clear weather. The high tides are expected to start Saturday night and continue periodically through Wednesday.
Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and issued a partial activation of the Florida National Guard, readying more than 8,000 personnel.
Broward County officials prepared to staff the Emergency Operations Center in Plantation, where during storms representatives from the cities and various agencies convene to share information and serve residents before and after the storm. The county’s emergency management division director, Miguel Ascarrunz, said partial staffing at the center was set to begin Saturday morning.
Palm Beach County officials have not decided whether to open evacuation shelters or close county facilities. County emergency response crews are on standby this weekend and high-wheeled vehicles are being readied to respond to flood-prone areas if the storm hits. The county’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated and officials there are expected to be monitoring Erika through the weekend.
A decision about whether to open evacuation shelters could come Saturday afternoon.
The South Florida Fairgrounds canceled an event Sunday, just in case the county needs to use its main expo hall as a special needs shelter for evacuees who re- quire extra medical services.
At Port Everglades, more than two dozen cruise, cargo and petroleum ships scheduled to arrive this weekend and early in the week could be affected by heavy weather, said port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy. The port recommends that cruise passengers contact their cruise line directly for updates.
Among the cruise ships scheduled to arrive and depart are Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas on Saturday, Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas on Sunday, the Carnival Conquest on Monday. The Bahamas Express Pinar del Rio ferry operates daily.
The uncertainty over closings and cancellations comes over a storm that has been a difficult one for forecasters.
“The forecast uncertainty in course and strength is a challenging circumstance,” County Administrator Robert Weisman said about Erika. “As always, when in doubt, we take whatever actions are appropriate to assure public safety.”
Delray Beach announced that city offices will be closed Monday.
The storm’s strength and path have proved particularly difficult to forecast.
“Various factors are making this a tougher than normal forecast,” said meteorologist Robert Molleda of the National Weather Service in Miami. “There’s still a lot of small details about the atmosphere that are just hard to predict well ahead of time.”
Under the latest National Hurricane Center advisory, Erika is not projected to strengthen into a hurricane. Rather, it is expected to swirl over the middle Keys early Monday, when it would draw closest to South Florida. From there, it is forecast to make a gentle turn to the northeast and move over Orlando on Tuesday and Jacksonville on Wednesday.
Another scenario: The storm might be ripped apart by wind shear and interaction with the mountainous areas of Hispaniola. On Friday evening, a poorly organized Erika was over the Dominican Republic, moving northwest toward the north shore of Cuba.
The system threatens to produce up to 12 inches of rain along its path. The prime minister of Dominica, in the eastern Caribbean, said Friday night that at least 20 people were dead and the island had been set back 20 years by damage inflicted by the storm.
The hurricane center also is monitoring a tropical wave expected to roll off the coast of Africa on Saturday. For now, it’s being given a low chance of developing over the next five days. The next storm will be named Fred.