(CNN) — Erika is no longer a tropical storm, but could still bring heavy rains and spark flooding as it heads to Florida from the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday.
Early Saturday, Erika was between Haiti and Cuba. The system is expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain on the island and up to 10 inches in some areas.
Sunday will be critical for Florida. That’s when rainfall of up to 3 to 5 inches is expected with locally heavier amounts, possible across southern and central Florida.
“These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” the hurricane center warned.
As Erika approaches South Florida, it is expected to weaken to a depression then possibly pick back up to tropical storm strength.
The U.S. Coast Guard warned boaters and cargo ships in Key West on Friday to prepare for the possibility of sustained gale-force winds.
Parts of the Caribbean could see flooding
Forecasters are advising residents of the Bahamas, eastern and central Cuba and southern Florida to continue monitoring the progress of what remains of Erika over the next 24 hours. Gusty winds and 3 to 6 inches of rain could fall across those areas with up to 10 inches possible across some portions of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba through Sunday.
Florida flooding worries
A day before a weak Tropical Storm Erica was predicted to arrive, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency. He was worried about flooding from the storm, which has killed 20 people.
The deaths happened on the Caribbean island of Dominica as torrential rains burst the banks of rivers and streams with turbulent force. Erika swept away even more people, who are still missing, authorities there said.
As tropical storms go, Erika’s winds are not impressive. As it staggers over Cuba on Saturday, it is predicted to weaken to a tropical depression, but the governor is leery of potential heavy rainfall.
“We don’t know how much land it’s going to go over,” Scott said at a news conference Friday. “We don’t know how much water we’re going to get.”
Though the National Hurricane Center forecast calls for patches of strong thunderstorms, as Erika crawls along Florida’s western coastline early this week, the Tampa area in particular could be vulnerable to high water, as it is still saturated from storms a couple of weeks ago.
Grief among ruins
Despite the sagging winds, the torrents that pelted Dominica, located just north of Martinique, are an unforgiving reminder that flooding is the No. 1 killer in storms.
Dominica was deluged by 12 inches of rain in fewer than 10 hours, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. The waters also pushed walls of mud down hills, destroying homes and livelihoods.
They have cut off the village of Petite Savanne, where rescuers are searching for mudslide victims, with other countries in the region providing helicopters and other assistance.
Images of loss — swamped villages and washed-out roads and buildings — flooded social media. People in Dominica are bereft, the nation’s Prime Minister said Friday night.
“Rest assured, my brothers and sisters, you are not alone in your period of mourning in your period of pain, in your period of suffering and anxiety,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told the nation.
Worst damage seen
Repairing infrastructure will cost tens of millions; the damage will set the island back for two decades, he said.
The Prime Minister, who was in Saint Lucia when the storm first hit, deflected criticism that the government didn’t issue proper warnings to its 70,000 citizens.
“There is no need to indulge in blaming others for what has happened in Dominica,” he told the nation. He said forecasters had been focused on the larger islands in the Caribbean and Florida.
Trisha Scotland has watched many black storms rage over Dominica in her lifetime, but this is the worst damage she’s ever seen.
“I’ve experienced at least six to seven hurricanes. I’m not even counting the storms. I’m not even counting the depressions,” Scotland said.
She walked six miles from her home in Jimmit to the capital, Roseau, to check on her mother’s business, photographing the devastation along the way.
Hawaii in the path of Hurricane Ignacio
Residents of Hawaii are being warned to keep a close watch on the progress of Hurricane Ignacio. Currently there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but the National Hurricane Center warned, “A watch may be required for portions of the main Hawaiian islands on Saturday.”
Ignacio is expected to strengthen over the next day and then slowly begin weakening beginning Sunday say forecasters. Ignacio is packing a punch with sustained winds near 90 mph and stronger gusts.
Large swells generated by Ignacio will begin arriving, “along east and southeast facing shores of the main Hawaiian islands over the next several days.” according to the National Hurricane Center. As a result, “Surf will be large and potentially life-threatening, especially on the Big Island late this weekend and early next week,” the hurricane center said.
“We understand the public is fatigued from experiencing four major approaching storms so far this season, but we urge people to take the weekend to prepare their homes and families for impacts that could be felt statewide,” state Emergency Management Administrator Doug Mayne said in a press release.
