Elsa becomes season’s first hurricane in Caribbean

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO >>

Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Friday as it blew off roofs and snapped trees in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. It appeared headed eventually in the general direction of Florida.

The Category 1 storm is the first hurricane to hit Barbados in more than 60 years, unleashing heavy rains and winds on the island and then on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which are struggling to recover from recent massive volcanic eruptions.

Elsa was centered about 505 miles southeast of Santo Domingo and was moving west-northwest at 30 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

“That level of sustained wind can blow down a lot of buildings and cause a lot of damage,” St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said. “I am pleading with you. Let us not take this hurricane lightly. This is not the time to play the fool.”

The long-term forecast track showed it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.

Authorities in Barbados said they received calls about families trapped in their homes, collapsed houses and power and water outages, but no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Wilfred Abrahams, minister of home affairs, information and public affairs, urged people to open their homes to those in need.