Alerts issued for tropical storms Jose and Katia even as Caribbean still reels from Hurricane Irma
Jose is already a Category 3 storm and is expected to worsen by Friday.
Even though the Caribbean is still reeling from the destruction left behind by Hurricane Irma, two new storms are making their way towards the region. A fresh alert has been issued in the islands of Barduda and Antigua as Jose has already developed into a Category 3 storm, and the National Hurricane Centre expects it worsen by Friday.
It is fast approaching the Leeward Islands, as well. “Based upon the latest observation and analysis, Hurricane Jose could come very close to the Leeward Islands by early Saturday,” the National Office of Disaster Services in Antigua said.
Antigua and Barduda were not heard from for hours in the wake of the destruction left behind by Hurricane Irma. When Prime Minister Gaston Browne could finally make a statement, he said the region was barely habitable anymore.
From the West, Hurricane Katia prompted authorities to issue a warning in the Mexican state of Veracruz between Cabo Rojo and Laguna Verde. A storm watch is in place for the area between Laguna Verde and Puerto Veracruz and the area between Cabo Rojo and the Panuco River, The New York Times reported.
Katia is currently 215 miles east of Tampico in Mexico, with packing winds at 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Irma leaves a trail of destruction in Caribbean, heads to Florida
Hurricane Irma, which has killed at least 13 people in the Caribbean and rendered thousands homeless so far, is now headed towards Florida in the United States, forcing mass evacuations. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in South Carolina and Georgia as well.
The islands of Turks and Caicos Islands are currently experiencing the severity of the deadliest ever storm to develop over the Atlantic. It is expected to hit the Bahamas next. The Category 5 hurricane is the first that has continued to sustain wind speeds of 185 mph for 33 hours since satellites began to be used to monitor storms in the 1970s.
Puetro Rico, the Dominican Republic Anguilla, St Kitts & Nevis, St martin and St Barts, the Virgin Islands and Haiti were the other islands in the Caribbean that suffered Irma’s attack. A hurricane watch is still on in Cuba.