Forecasters say it’s too soon to say whether and where storm would hit mainland, but added people shouldn’t let their guard down.
The National Hurricane Center said Thursday that Tropical Storm Isaias, which is battering the Dominican Republic on a forecasted track toward the U. S. East Coast, will likely become a hurricane on Friday. The storm has already unleashed small landslides and caused widespread flooding and power outages in Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from previous hurricanes and earthquakes.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds of 60 mph also toppled trees and some telephone and electrical cables across the island.
Especially hard hit was Puerto Rico’s southern region, which is still being shaken by daily tremors. Santos Seda, mayor of the southwest town of Guánica, told The Associated Press that he has received reports of downed trees and inundated neighborhoods where earthquake-damaged homes still stand.
«The emotional state of people is deteriorating more every day,» he said, adding that crews will fan out to assess damage once the weather clears.
Isaias was centered about 250 miles southeast of the southeastern Bahamas by Thursday afternoon, according to the U.
