Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tropical Storm Emily on path toward Haiti

Rain and wind gusts from the outer bands of Tropical Storm Emily struck Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the storm gathered strength on a track that threatened the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where more than 630,000 people are still without shelter after last year's earthquake.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was heading west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph). The path would bring Emily's center over Hispaniola by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. Both countries, but especially Haiti, are prone to devastating floods.

Early Wednesday, the storm was about 220 miles (355 kilometers) southeast of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph).

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the southeast Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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